The Legend of Dragoon : The Divine Blessings
by Naki
Summary: Wow...an update...can you believe it? Anyway, this takes place two years after the game. New allies, new enemies, new plot, a new look on the foundation of the Dragon Campaign. 25 Chapters strong!
1. Default Chapter

The Legend of Dragoon: The Divine Blessings

--Written by: Naki

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter 1 : The Reunion

  
  


_"Someone who is now dear to your memory will soon return to you..."_

Dart shot up in bed. _What a strange dream..._ He thought. _Who's this person...that's dear to my memory?_

Dart rubbed his eyes, threw off the covers and sat on the edge of the bed. Sunlight peeked in from daybreak through the drapes.

"It's morning..." Dart said quietly. He looked over at Shana, who lain on her side, faced him, and was snuggled up to her pillow.

He smiled. She shifted onto her back. Dart glanced at Shana's stomach that protruded outside of the covers. He reached out and gingerly placed a hand on her stomach. For some while now, ever since they had found out Shana was pregnant, he had been anxious to be a father for the first time.

Turning away from Shana, thoughts flooded back into Dart's head. He wonder how everyone was doing. How Albert is getting along with the Humans. How Kongol was doing at learning the Martial Arts from Haschel. That one made Dart chuckle. He wondered how Haschel was doing, overall. He remembered Rose...and his father, Zieg. And their noble sacrifice at _The Moon That Never Sets_. Was either of them the "person" that was supposedly to be returned to them?

The bed shifted. Shana sat up.

"Dart? Is there something wrong?" She asked.

"Nah..." Dart faked.

"Yeah, right..." Shana said. "I can see right through you. You know what I see?"

"The wall," Dart replied.

Shana laughed. "No. Something happened. Bad dream?"

"You could say that." Dart said, not turning around. He stood, and pulled a shirt on. "I'll be back later."

Shana was left sitting up in bed, puzzled.

"What's wrong?" She asked aloud to no one in particular.

  


Dart squinted against the rising sun as he walked outside Seles. Taking a walk felt like the right thing to do to get his thoughts straightened out.

  


Shana had gotten dressed and was in the kitched fixing breakfast when there was a knock on the door. Taking her apron off, she walked out of the kitchen, down the to the foyer, and answered the knocks at the front door.

A young man stood on the front steps, and his outfit bore the emblem of the Serdio Royal Family.

"Um, ma'am, I have a message for a Mr. Dart Feld." The young man read from an intricately folded and sealed paper.

"I'm Mrs. Shana Feld, his wife. May I take it for him? He is not in right now." Shana said.

"Um...my orders were to give it to a Dart Feld, ma'am..." the messenger said.

"Who is it from?" Shana asked.

"King Albert of Serdio," came the reply.

"Albert?!" Shana exclaimed. "Give it to me. Both Dart and I are very close friends with King Albert. He wouldn't mind if I read it also."

"Um..." the messenger looked doubtful.

Shana irately rubbed her forehead with a hand. "Look, I don't know when my husband is getting back, and I have no idea where he is. Not unless you want to wait here, I'll take the message."

"I would give it to you ma'am, but I have no proof that you are actually the Shana the King has spoken of." The messenger said.

"Of course she is."

Shana looked up and the messenger whirled around.

"She's just about seven months pregnant. That's all."

"Dart!" Shana said.

Dart approached the young messenger. "You have something for me?"

"Uh, yes, yes sir." The messenger handed him a sealed paper. "From his Royal Highness, King Albert of Serdio."

"Oh, really?" Dart took the the paper and squinted his eyes to read the fine print cursive handwriting on it. "Shana...I hope you have better eyesight than I have." He joked.

The messenger bowed. "I shall be off."

Dart and Shana reentered their home after the messenger had left.

"Open it." Shana said.

"I will," Dart said. "When I figure out how without ripping it to pieces."

Dart eventually opened the letter.

"Read it," Shana said.

"Okay..." Dart said. _"Dear Dart (and Shana), how have you two been faring? Great, I hope. It's hard to believe it's been two years since everything that had occurred. Things have been going great here in Bale. I am happy to inform you that the country of Serdio (as well as Tiberoa and Mille Seseau) has been at peace and I am now the father of a nine-month-old infant boy. Queen Emille and I named him 'Lavitz' in honor of our late friend. At any rate, I have a favor to ask of both of you. Princess Lisa of Tiberoa (I hope you both remember her) is going to soon celebrate her Coming of Age. Queen Emille wanted to 'rally up the troops' and have the whole 'gang' there, seeing that all of us (save Miranda) were at her Coming of Age celebration. I do hope you will join us in Bale. We'll travel together to Fletz. Love, King Albert."_

"Wow. You know we have to go," Shana said.

Dart glanced over at her. "In your state? No way."

Shana glared at him. "How would you feel if you were Albert's shoes and one of your best friends simlpy refused to go to your sister-in-law's Coming of Age?"

"It's not just because I don't want to. In fact, I want to go. But, I'm just concerned about you, Shana." Dart said.

Shana threw her hands up in the air. "Why is it that the second a man finds out his wife is expecting that he immediately assumes she is totally helpless and cumbersome?"

"I didn't say that!" Dart said. "You are _never_ cumbersome Shana!"

Shana pouted. "Then why can't we go? Aren't you just dying like me to see our friends?"

"Yes, yes I am. But..." Dart trailed off.

"It's final! We're going..." Shana said. "And no 'buts' about it!"

"Great," Dart muttered. "She already sounds like a mom."

Shana giggled. "I have to practice on somebody."

Dart stared up at the ceiling. "Oh, help me Lord..."

Shana walked back into the kitchen.

"I guess she'll find some way of bugging me when she's not going through one of her mood swings." Dart said to himself. Then he raised his voice to an intentionally higher volume. "Yes, of course! _All_ pregnant wives find ways to make life a living hell for their husbands!" His voice dripped with sarcasm.

Shana laughed. "Yes, we do!"

  


-- -- --

  


Queen Emille walked up into the Throne Room in Indels Castle and found the throne empty.

Emille shifted her son, Lavitz, to her other arm. "Where is he?"

Prince Lavitz reached out and played with Emille's hair.

She walked into their bedroom. "Oh, God..." What she saw made her burst into a fit of giggles.

Albert lay sprawled out on the bed, on his stomach, with his face buried in the pillow. He snored softly.

Emille laughed out loud. "I never thought I'd see the day..."

Albert lifted his head up and groaned as he rolled onto his back. "Why did you wake me?"

"You're the King of Serdio..." Emille reminded him as she placed Lavitz on the foot of the bed. "You can't sleep all day."

Prince Lavitz crawled up to Albert.

"Hey Lav..." Albert said tiredly. He looked over at Emille. "I stayed up all night dealing with the matters of this country. I'm dead tired."

"Well, I kind of figured that when you didn't come to bed last night," Emille said. "Anyway, you have to get up now. You have company."

Albert practically rolled out of the bed. He stood there, rubbed his eyes, and picked Lavitz up. "Come on."

  


As Albert descended the stairs, he caught a glimpse of his visitors.

"Haschel! Kongol!" Albert smiled.

"There he is," Haschel grinned.

"King of Human," Kongol said. "Kongol is happy to see Albert."

"I'm pleased to see you two, also," Albert said.

"Who is the baby?" Kongol said.

Albert smiled proudly. "He's my son, Lavitz."

"That's right. He said so in his letter I read to you, Kongol," Haschel said. "He looks just like you, Albert."

"Can the baby talk?" Kongol asked.

"Not yet," Albert siad. "Come, let's go sit."

  


-- -- --

  


Dart waited for Shana to catch up as he entered Bale, the capital city of Serdio.

  


-- -- --

  


Albert, Haschel, and Kongol sat in the Throne Room, reminiscing over the war.

Suddenly, a loud, obnoxious voice yelled out.

"Heeeeeeeey! Al! You home?"

"Wait, don't tell me," Albert said. "It's Meru. She's the only one that ever called me 'Al'."

"And the only one we know with such a loud voice," Haschel complained.

"All Winglies loud?" Kongol asked.

"Not all of them..." Haschel answered.

Meru burst into the room, smiling.

"Hey guys! Did ya miss me?" Meru asked.

Silence.

"Hey!" Meru said, annoyed. "It's been two years! Look how much I grew up!"

"Not much..." Haschel remarked.

Meru made a face.

Haschel and Albert chuckled.

  


-- -- --

  


"Wow, Dart! Look at how much Bale has changed!" Shana remarked. "And look! They've erected a clock tower!"

"Come on, let's hurry to the castle," Dart said, obviously anxious to see the others again.

"Um...'Hurry'?" Shana placed a hand on her stomach. "That's easier said than done."

  


-- -- --

  


"Remember in Fueno?" Meru asked. "When Rose and Dart met up with us in the hotel?"

"Yeah," Haschel said.

"I remember beforehand when Dart ran right smack-dab into me and I toppled right over," Meru said. "I said, 'Hey! Do you have eyes?!'"

Albert smiled.

The time at the hotel is still the kicker," Meru continued. "When all of us were downstairs..."

"And you asked that rude question," Haschel added.

"Look who's the pot calling the kettle black!" Meru exclaimed. "You asked Dart if he and Rose cuddled! Then, when everyone yelled at you, you tried to apologize with some lame excuse!"

"What was it you said after that, Haschel?" Albert asked.

"'Sorry, it slipped out'." Haschel replied.

"What do you mean 'slipped'?!"

Albert's head snapped up as the other three turned around.

Dart stood on the second step from the top, hands on hips, and a big smile set on his features.

"Dart!" Albert said, smiling. "Come, sit down."

Dart held up his index finger. "Just a moment." He turned around.

Footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs. "I...hate...stairs..."

"C'mon, Hon. You're almost to the top." Dart said.

Dart took hold of Shana's outstretched hand. Exhausted, Shana collapsed into Dart arms.

"You all right?" Dart asked.

Shana nodded. "I hate stairs."

Albert chuckled. "It seems that Dart hasn't changed much. How are you doing, Shana?"

"Uh..." Shana trailed off. "Great! Just great!"

"I hear faint sarcasm in your voice," Haschel said.

"Move it Dart! Let's see Shana!" Meru said.

Dart turned around and shifted out of the way.

"WOW!" Meru exclaimed.

Albert smiled. "You look like you're about to pop, Shana. Congratulations, both of you."

Shana smiled and stroked her stomach with a hand. "Thank you."

"Is it gonna be a boy or a girl?" Meru asked.

"We don't know," Shana said. "But, I _know_ Dart wants a boy. All soon-to-be-fathers hope it's a boy."

Dart made a face at Shana.

"It was natural for me to hope for a boy," Albert said. "i need an heir to the throne. Besides," he grinned, "my family's notorious for having boys first. My father was first born, I was first born, and now Lavitz is first born."

"Well, it was obvious that you were first born, Albert," Dart said. "You're an only child."

"Yes, but, Doel was younger than Carlos, remember?" Shana added.

"Enough about my family tree, please," Albert said.

Queen Emille walked in from downstairs. She carried with her Prince Lavitz. Shana walked over to her.

"Aww...he's so cute!" Shana said.

Dart rubbed his forehead with a hand. "Great..."

Haschel grinned. "Just wait and watch. She's gonna have twin boys that look nothing like you, Dart."

Dart turned and glared at Haschel. "Don't tempt fate."

"Can I hold him?" Shana asked Emille.

"Sure. From the looks of it, you definitely need the practice." Emille said.

Shana held Lavitz snuggly with both arms. "This is rather easy."

Dart turned his attention away from Shana to Albert. "When do we leave for Tiberoa?"

"Tomorrow morning," Albert answered. "So get a good night's sleep tonight."

"That won't be hard for me and Shana." Dart replied.

Shana walked up to her husband. "Here." She handed Lavitz to him.

"What?" Dart said. "I don't know how to hold a baby!"

"You're never too old to learn," Shana said. "Now take 'im."

Dart reluctantly took the baby. He accidentally held him wrong, and Lavitz started crying.

"Not like that, Dart," Shana said. She adjusted Lavitz in Dart's arms. "Hold him like that. Let him sit on one arm with the other hand supporting his neck and upper back."

Dart adjusted the baby and he stopped crying. Dart sighed.

Within a few minutes, Lavitz feel asleep in Dart's arms.

"Um...what do I do now?" He asked.

Emille walked up to him. "Give him to me. Gently now."

Dart gave the baby back to his mother. He turned to Shana. "I actually kinda liked that."

Emille reentered the room from the bedroom in the back. "You should see me during the day. It's like I can't even take care of my own offspring. The maids and servants are constantly taking him away from me."

Albert raised a hand. "That, I think, would be my fault."

"Why is that?" Meru asked.

"Because, most of the maids and servants in this castle have been around since I was little. My father was too busy to really take care of me. So naturally, they're still used to it with Lav."

"'Lav'?" Meru asked.

"My little nickname for Lavitz," Albert replied.

  


-- -- --

  


After dinner, the group met in the bedroom downstairs. Dart sat down on a bed, and Shana leaned her back up against Dart's side.

Dart slid an arm around her. "Tired?"

Shana nodded. "Yeah."

Albert sat across from them. "That reminds me. How's Seles coming along?"

Dart smiled. "Fine. Most of the village is back to normal."

"Define 'normal'," Meru piped up from the back of the room. She soudned hurt. She laid on her back on a bed, with the back of her legs resting up against the wall.

"Anything wrong?" Haschel asked.

Meru sighed. "When the people, when the Humans found out that I was a Wingly, they immediately shunned me from society. They, they said that I wasn't normal..."

Albert shook his head. "Some Humans can be so cruel. They only think of themselves, and don't care about others' feelings."

"Kongol, he is lucky," Meru stated.

"Why is Kongol lucky?" Kongol asked.

Meru rolled over onto her stomach, with her knees bent and her feet int he air behind her head. "Because you're the last of the Gigantos. People respect you for that. And you're considered 'normal'."

"We respect you for who you are, Meru," Dart said. "And, when speaking of people, or any living creature, there is no true definition for 'normal'. Just be you. _That_ is 'normal'."

"Yes, Meru... We respect you," Albert concurred.

"To an extent," Haschel muttered.

"Haschel!" Albert and Dart exclaimed.

"Sorry, sorry," Haschel said.

"I suppose you're right," Meru said, sounding not completely convinced.

Dart looked down at Shana. He was wondering why she was keeping so silent during the conversation. She was asleep against him. He gently laid her down on the bed.

Looking down at her, Dart said, "I think it's time to hit the sack."

"Hit the what?" Meru asked.

"Otherwise known as, 'Time to go to bed'," Haschel explained.

"But, I'm not tired!" Meru complained.

"Well, if you're gonna stay up, don't make noise!" Dart said, climbing into bed.

  
  


To be continued...


	2. Fletz, Captial of Tiberoa

The Legend of Dragoon: The Divine Blessings

--Written by Naki

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter 2 : Fletz, Capital of Tiberoa

  
  


King Albert roused his friends early in the morning.

Meru came dragging outside of the castle.

"I'm tired..." she muttered.

Albert smirked. "_Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise_."

Meru threw a tired glare at Albert.

"Or, in this case," Haschel grinned, seeing an opportunity. "_Late to bed, early to rise, makes it so you can't open your eyes_."

The group laughed at the remark from Haschel, except for Meru.

She rubbed her eyes. "Oh, leave me alone."

Queen Emille came out last from the castle, carrying a sleeping Lavitz.

"We can depart now," Emille said.

Albert turned to the group. "Let us be off."

  


-- -- --

  


Near the border of Serdio and Tiberoa found Kongol burdened. Shana had become quickly weary, so Kongol carried her. Meru had been too tired to keep up with the others, so Kongol carried her on his back, with her arms draped around his neck and her head resting on his shoulder. She slept soundly.

After crossing the border into Tiberoa, Dart stopped suddenly. He motioned for the others to halt as well.

Before any questions could be asked, Dart said, "Do you hear that?"

Silence reigned for a few moments before a distant cry rang out. It happened several more times, each time growing in volume.

"What is that?" Albert asked.

"What ever it is, it ain't happy," Haschel said.

"And it's coming nearer," Dart added.

An ugly head came over a rise in the landscape. It saw the group, and screeched again.

Meru awoke. "Wha...whaz goin' on?" She suddenly fell from Kongol's back to the ground. "Owwie..."

Dart drew his sword quickly.

Albert pulled out his spear and stood protectively in front of Emille and Lavitz.

The monster snapped at Dart, but caught only air when Dart dodged.

Dart ran up to it and performed a smooth, seven-hit combo with his sword. "_Blazing Dynamo_!"

Albert followed suit with six straight hits. "_Gust of Wind Dance_!"

The creature stubbornly stood its ground.

A scream rang out behind them.

"Shana!" Emille cried. A monster, identical to the first one, had just appeared, and snagged Shana by the wrist.

Dart whirled around. "Shana!"

The second monster pulled Shana closer to it. Shana screamed once more, struggling feebly against the stronger force.

Meru came out of nowhere and slammed her hammer into the head of the monster. "_Double Smack_!"

Meru immediately grabbed Shana as the monster released its hold on her.

Kongol backed them up by slicing downwards with his axe. "_Pursuit_!"

Meru, with hammer in hand, stood in front of Emille and Shana.

The two monsters suddenly turned and fled for no apparent reason.

"Weird..." Dart lowered his sword and looked over at Albert with a curious look on his face. Albert shared the look.

"What a curious action," Albert said.

Dart hurried over to Shana. "Are you all right?"

She nodded. "I'm fine."

Suddenly, one of the monsters returned, and reared back as if to attack. It made to do so.

Dart was the first to notice. "Albert!!"

Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Albert whirled around to come face-to-face with the monster, but wasn't quick enough to bring his spear up in defense. The monster's head came down fast, to strike Albert.

_SWISH!_

The monster collapsed over onto the ground, dead, with an arrow stuck in the side of its head.

Everyone turned to look in the direction the arrow came from. A young, blonde woman stood there, her bow still up.

"Miranda!" Albert smiled. "So good to see you. And thank you..."

"You don't have to thank me," Miranda interrupted. "That's just my duty. And it's good to see all of you." She glanced at everyone. "Looks like I'm a bit late..."

  


-- -- --

  


Fletz, the capital city of Tiberoa.

Dart stopped to survey his surroundings. "I don't see any difference."

Albert stood beside him. "I agree with you, Dart."

It was obvious that Emille was anxious to see her father and sister. "Hurry up!"

There was a large crowd near the castle gates. Dart and co. walked up to the crowd, but could see nothing.

Dart tapped the nearest person on the shoulder. The man turned around.

"What's going on?" Dart asked.

"Princess Lisa is giving a speech before her Coming of Age ceremony tomorrow," the man replied.

"That's great," Albert said. "Looks like we made it just in time."

"I told you Albert," Emille walked up to him. "I know my sister better than anyone else."

The man who Dart was talking to gasped. "P-Princess Emille!"

"That's Queen Emille," Albert corrected.

Many people around them turned around.

"May we pass?" Emille asked.

  


-- -- --

  


Princess Lisa stood in the center of the clearing in the middle of the huge crowd.

In the corner of her eye, Lisa noticed the crowd shifting in one place. A familiar blonde young man garbed in red emerged from the crowd.

"Dart!" Lisa said. Several other people emerged after him. "King Albert, Shana, Meru, Kongol, Miranda!"

A person moved out from behind Albert.

Lisa's eyes brightened. "Emille!"

Emille walked up to her sister and hugged her.

"It's so good to see you again, Lisa." Emille said.

Lisa smiled. "I am extremely happy that all of you came in time for my Coming of Age. You've made me feel so special."

"It's our pleasure," King Albert said, shifting Lavitz around to his right arm.

Lisa came up to Albert. "You two should have notified me when you had a baby. What is his name?"

"Lavitz," Albert and Emille said in unison.

Lisa motioned with a hand. "Come, let's go inside the castle."

  


-- -- --

  


King Zior was as happy, if not happier, as Lisa was to see everyone. He was pleased with the fact that he was now a grandfather. He soon found out about Shana and Dart.

"Congradulations, both of you!" King Zior exclaimed. "Today is a great day! And tomorrow, my youngest daughter will become a woman!"

Dart threw an arm around Shana's shoulders.

"Thank you," Shana said. "But, I don't see any cause for celebration. Having babies is normal, it happens everyday."

Meru gasped quietly. There was that word again..."normal". She turned and slipped unnoticed out onto the balcony parallel to the Chamber of the Sun.

"Of course it's something to celebrate for!" King Zior's voice boomed out from inside the Chamber. "The creation of life is always joyful!"

  


-- -- --

  


Meru had remained out on the balcony by herself for well over an hour. Tears rolled openly down her cheeks. "I'm not normal...I've never been normal..."

"Cheer up, young one. Winglies are supposed to be strong willed, aren't they?"

Meru gasped audibly, and looked around for the source of the voice. She finally spotted the person leaning against the far pillar.

"How, how did you know that I was a Wingly?" Meru asked.

"Your wings," came the reply.

"Oh. I didn't realize that," Meru said, checking her back. "Who are you?"

The figure moved closer. Meru saw that it was a woman, with long platinum blonde hair down past her rear. She had beautiful sky-blue eyes. She was dressed in a long, flowing, white dress. Kindness seemed to radiate from her.

"I am called Erisi," she said.

"Oh. I'm Meru."

"What's wrong?" Erisi asked, leaning on the railing of the balcony. She had with her a sketchbook, and a charcoal pencil.

"Um...I...I'm not normal..." Meru said.

"What do you mean?" Erisi persisted. "Elaborate."

"I hang with Humans, but the second that they found out that I wasn't Human, that I was Wingly, they shunned me and said I wasn't normal," Meru explained.

Erisi sketched lightly in her book. "Well," she looked up, "people should of known right away that you're Wingly."

"How's that?" Meru asked.

Erisi pointed to her head. "Your hair. Only Winglies have platinum hair color. You're however, is different. Instead of having the stereotypical silver platinum, you have a bluish platinum."

"I shoulda noticed that myself," Meru said, playing with her ponytail.

"But, you shouldn't worry about not being up to par with the Humans," Erisi said, looking at her and smiling. "Because, myself, to the Humans, I wouldn't be considered 'normal' either."

Meru's eyes widened.

Erisi put her index finger to her lips. "Shh. It's a secret."

Meru smiled and nodded. "Ok."

"Oh, by the way," Erisi flipped her sketchbook around. "What do you think?"

It was an accurate picture of Meru.

"Wow!! It looks real! Cool! Can I have it?" Meru said.

Erisi smiled and carefully tore the picture from her sketchbook. "That was an overstatement of the reaction I was expecting. Look as if you're just full of surprises, Meru." She handed the sketch to her.

  


-- -- --

  


Meru went running back into the Chamber of the Sun.

"Look! Look at this!" She ran up to Dart and held up the picture.

Erisi came walking in behind Meru, smiling.

Dart took the picture and inspected it. "Wow. It looks real."

"That's exactly what I said!" Meru took it from Dart and showed it to everyone else in an excited dash.

Erisi chuckled.

Dart looked over at her. "Who are you?"

"I'm Erisi. And you are?" Erisi asked.

"My name is Dart." Dart said. He motioned with his hand and introduced everyone. "This is my wife, Shana. And this is Albert, King of Serdio. And of course you've already met Meru. This is Kongol, the last of the Gigantos. This is Haschel, a master of the Martial Arts. And this is the First Sacred Sister of Mille Seseau, Miranda."

"I'm pleased to meet you," Erisi nodded.

Princess Lisa walked up. "This is a good friend of mine I met within the past two years. She's spent the majority of her life in Mille Seseau. She's also an extremely good artist."

"Well, we've seen evidence of that!" Meru waved her drawing in the air.

"She did a really good painting of the _Black Monster_," Lisa said.

"Really?" Dart said. "Is it here?"

Erisi nodded. "Yes. Why? Did you know Rose?"

Dart looked shocked. "You know Rose?"

"Knew is more like it. Yes, she was a very close friend of mine." Erisi said. She led Dart and the others over to an easel with a covering over a framed object.

"Why is it covered?" Meru asked.

"To protect the painting from the light. The light will make it fade," Erisi said.

"You sounded so casual when you talked about Rose. Did her death mean nothing to you?" Albert asked.

Erisi placed a hand on the easel and bit her lip. "Yes, it did. But, you must realize as her former friends also, that Rose lived for over eleven millennia. She earned her well deserved rest by protecting the earth from the _Holy Blessing_ for so many years."

She pulled the cover off of the painting.

"Wow..." Dart said. There was a murmur of awe around the crowd.

"That looks just like her, right down to the very last detail," Albert said. "Erisi, you have quite an extraordianry gift."

The painting showed Rose, in her dragoon state, with her back turned to the viewer. She was slightly angled so that she looked over her right shoulder, with her long dark brown hair tossed partly over her left wing. The detail was so fine that it included the intricate design on the handle of the rapier in Rose's right hand and that frown on her face. Even the background atmosphere of the picture depicted her personality: dark and foreboding.

Albert squatted down and read the writing int he bottom right hand corner. _"The Black Monster"_ was the name of the painting and included the artist's signature. A small copper plaque was on the bottom of the frame. It read: _"The ones who flaunt their power disappear when the truly powerful appear." -Rose, the Darkness Dragoon "The Black Monster"._

"Hmm, 'The ones who flaunt their power disappear when the truly powerful appear'." Albert said. "That sounds vaguely familiar."

"She said it to the elder Bardel in the Wingly village," Dart reminded him.

"It was her favorite saying," Erisi said. "She was disgusted at Winglies that held onto the glory of the past."

Emille walked up, holding Lavitz. "Um, if I may intervene, dinner is ready." She looked at the guys and at Meru. "And no one hurt themselves dashing for the dining room!"

A laugh rang out from the group. Shana turned and looked over at Haschel and Meru. "You know she's serious, don't you?"

Haschel just stared at Shana. "Who, me?"

"Whaddya mean? We haven't done anything!" Meru said in Haschel's defense as well as hers.

Dart turned around. "Don't tempt her. She eats for at least two right now. She can probably out eat both of you in one sitting."

Haschel and Meru looked at each other. "What makes you say that?" Haschel said, grinning.

Dart and Shana left the Chamber, ignoring the pair.

Meru turned to Haschel. "Is it just me, or has Dart suddenly gotten pushy when it comes to Shana?"

"He's always been that way," Haschel answered, exiting the Chamber.

  
  


To be continued...


	3. Small Lady

The Legend of Dragoon: The Divine Blessings

--Written by Naki

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter 3 : Small Lady

  
  


Lisa's Coming of Age celebration had come and gone. It was now the day after.

Dart and co. stood group around the castle gates as they said their goodbyes. Albert stood in the back, with Shana, as she held Lavitz.

A young girl with little-less-than shoulder length black hair suddenly ran right into Albert from behind, toppling them both over.

"I'm so sorry!" The girl helped Albert to his feet. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

"That was obvious," Albert said, brushing himself off.

"There she is!"

"Yeah, get her!"

"She's mine!"

A group of three big boys in their late-teens advanced up.

Haschel walked up to Albert. "This doesn't look good."

"I agree," Albert said. "One would think young men that old would be more mature than to pick a fight."

The girl stood in a ready stance. "Bring it on!"

One of the boys laughed. "Look guys! This little shrimp thinks she can take us on!"

The girl gritted her teeth together.

Haschel gasped. _That stance...and her profile...she looks a lot like Claire..._

Albert looked over at Haschel. "Anything wrong?"

Haschel shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong."

Another boy laughed hysterically. "To think that she could take us out...help me, my sides are splitting!"

The third boy, obviously the leader, silenced the other two. "She looks serious about this. But, even I think it is a bit insane of her to be so little and take on the three of us."

"Are you three gonna fight or just talk all day?" The girl snapped.

The smallest of the three stepped forward. "I'll take you on, shortie."

The girl narrowed her eyes. "Never underestimate your opponent!"

The boy lunged at her, but she neatly sidestepped him, and drove her elbow into his back. He got back up, lunged at her once more, but instead of strifing out of the way, she served him an uppercut in the jaw. He collapsed onto the ground, out cold.

She rubbed her hands, reached into her pocket, and pulled out a pair of fingerless black gloves. She slipped both onto her hands and turned to the remaining two. "Who's next?"

The leader shoved the smaller one in the back. "Go finish her."

The minion smiled cruelly. "My pleasure."

He swung a wooden pole at her head; ducking, she reached up and caught it. Pulling it down to the ground and the boy withit, she swung around it and kicked him in the head with both feet. He dropped like a rock senseless onto the ground.

She threw the pole to the side and glared at the remaining one. "I guess you're next, big guy."

He drew what looked like a short sword. "You're weapons are your fists, so my weapon will be this."

"Fine with me." She said.

He lunged at her, swiping with the sword's blade. She dodged his attack, grabbed his right wrist, and smash the heel of her right hand into it. The sword fell from his grasp onto the cobblestone pavement, and she kicked it beyond reach. She then threw him onto the ground in the opposite direciton. He climbed to his feet, and clenched his hands into fists. He threw a punch at her, but she ducked, and slammed her left fist into his stomch. He doubled over, and she served him an uppercut with her right fist into his chin. He flew back up into an upright position. Before he could react, she flipped over backwards, and when her hands touched the pavement below her head, she brought her feet up simultaneously and kicked him the the head to complete her combo. "Somersault!" She landed in a "leap-frog" position, crouched down the her hands supporting her weight in the front. She stood and glared at the three that lay groaning on the ground. "I'm older than I look."

"Who is she?" Albert asked aloud. Haschel shrugged.

The girl stretched her arms out to loosen them up.

"Small Lady!"

The girl looked up. "Phoenix!"

What looked like a cat with bird-like wings flew from the sky and landed on the girl's shoulders.

Meru gasped. _Small Lady! That was...Guaraha's nickname for..._

"You know, you're askin' for a butt-whoopin' one of these days," Phoenix said.

"What do you mean?" The girl, "Small Lady" said. "I'm a master of the Martial Arts!"

"A master by your own definition," Phoenix retorted.

She ignored the comment. "So, what's up?"

Phoenix nuzzled the cheek of the girl. "I scouted ahead..."

"And...?" The girl said.

"No sign of Meru, but it is possible that your family is in Serdio," Phoenix said.

"Serdio, I forgort completely about that," the girl said.

Meru stepped out from the crowd. "Claira?"

The girl whirled around. "Meru?"

They both ran to each other, meeting halfway. They hugged.

"Claira! I missed you so much!" Meru said, smiling.

Claira shared her smile. "Me too."

Meru picked the winged cat off of Claira's shoulder. "Phoenix! I missed you too!"

Phoenix purred and nuzzled up against Meru's face.

"Oh! Claira!" Meru said.

"Yes?" Claira asked.

Are you going to Serdio? That's where we're headed," Meru said.

Claira exchanged glances with Phoenix. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Cool!" Meru exclaimed.

  
  


To be continued...


	4. Back to Serdio

The Legend of Dragoon: The Divine Blessings

--Written by Naki

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter : 4 Back to Serdio

  
  


They headed back to Bale. Albert wanted to research the monsters that had attacked them. Miranda had suggested going to the library in Deningrad, but Albert pointed out how long of a journey that would be, and that he wanted to check his own resources before going to that extreme measure. Miranda left the group, and returned to Mille Seseau. Erisi had tagged along with them, hanging with Claira and Meru.

As they walked along, Albert mentioned to Dart, "I had such a strange dream last night. In fact, it's been a recurring dream."

"You too?" Dart asked. Albert looked at him with a questioning look. "I don't know if it's the same dream, but I"ve been having a recurring dream too."

Shana, who had been walking hand-in-hand with Dart piped up. "Me too."

Dart's head snapped around. "What? You have? Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because it didn't bother me." Shana replied.

Dart looked back over at Albert. "What was yours about?"

"I can't remember all the details, but..." Albert said. "I'm standing in a dark place. The wind is howling, but I can't feel it. Then, suddenly, a young woman appears in front of me. She is dressed in a white dress and has blonde hair. She turns around, but I can't see her face. Well, at least her eyes. I can't see her eyes. She smiles, and says, 'Albert'. Then, the wind blows again, this time, harder than ever, and she blown away like sand. The wind stops suddenly, and it is dead silent. Then, a voice breaks the silence by saying, 'someone who is now dear to your memory will soon return to you.'"

"That's the same dream that I've been having! But, just a bit different," Dart said.

"Me too," Shana said.

"Really?" Dart asked.

Shana nodded.

"Who is the girl in the dream?" Albert wondered.

"I know," Shana said.

"Huh?" Dart said. "She never said who she was."

Shana looked up at him with an "I know something that you don't know" look. "There is more to the dream that I've been having than to yours."

"Really? What?" Albert asked.

"The part when she turns around and smiles," Shana began.

"Yeah," Dart said.

"Well, she says, 'Shana, I am the Divine Daughter, and...' that's when she blown away. Then she says, 'someone who is now dear to your memory will soon return to you.'" Shana said.

"Weird..." Dart said.

"The Divine Daughter...?" Albert asked. "Who's that?"

Shana shrugged. "Someone during the Dragon Campaign?" She suggested.

"Who knows?" Albert said.

  


-- -- --

  


The sun was setting by the time they returned to Bale. They ate dinner, and Dart and Albert went into the King's study to attempt to look up things.

"Okay, let's get down to business," Albert said. He searched the shelves. "I don't know where to start."

"First, let's look up the Divine Daughter," Dart said.

"Good idea," Albert agreed.

  


-- -- --

  


Two hours later.

"Hey I found something," Dart said. Albert put down the book he was looking through and rounded the table to look over Dart's shoulder.

"What have you found?" Albert asked.

"Look." Dart pointed to a section in the book he had labeled _The Divine Blessings_. "'_The Divine Blessings_' or also known as the blessings from Soa or his 'Divine' creations, i.e. The Divine Tree and The Divine Dragon. But, in this case, the _Divine Blessings_ come from one of the Divine creations. It says here that long ago, not too long before the Dragon Campaign, the Divine Dragon had twin offspring. One representing life, the Divine White Crystal Dragon; one representign death, the Divine Black Crystal Dragon. In the time of about a year, the twin dragons were killed of by the Winglies so that the 'Dragoon' conspiracy would not be as harsh as anyone would expect."

"I didn't realize the Dragon Campaign was a conspiracy beforehand..." Albert said quietly.

"I guess," Dart said before he continued. "Two Winglies who stood against the Wingly beliefs at the time received the twin Dragoon Spirits. One, a Wingly thief, and a nuisance to society. Very weak in the magic department, but very powerful physically. He received the Divine Black Crystal Dragon Dragoon Spirit. The other one, a Wingly princess, the youngest of the last known Wingly royal family, was physically weak, but had the strongest magical power in the known Wingly world at the time. She received the Divine White Crystal Dragon Dragoon Spirit along with a crystal-bladed sword, named the Crystal Blade, but was later nicknamed the _Virage Buster_. These two, were separately named the Divine Son and Daughter, but were collectively known as the Divine Children. Before the slightest whim of an idea of the Dragon Campaign, a strong magical Wingly royal family ruled. When the Wingly dictator Melbu Frahma rose to power, the King became just a mere figurehead. It was said that the Divine Children were awfully young to be warriors. It was said that the Divine Son was only 15 years of age, and that the Divine Daughter was only 14. As a note, there was an offspring of the White Crystal Dragon. A vassal dragon that was named the "White Dragon". The Divine Daughter had complete control over the White Dragon. It was said that they perished at the final battle of the Dragon Campaign, along with the Dragoons."

"Is that it?" Albert asked.

"Yep." Dart shut the book.

"It's late. Let's retire for the night." Albert said.

  


-- -- --

  


Dart went downstairs into the bedroom. Haschel sat on the tird bed down, Kongol sat against the far wall, obviously too big for a bed, and Meru and Claira sat on the far bed playing a game of cards. There was no sign of Erisi. Shana had apparently grabbed the first bed, for she sat up, partly covered by a blanket, engrossed in a novel.

Dart sat down heavily on the bed. "You still up?"

Shana glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. "It's just a bit past ten."

"Really?" Dart turned around and stared at the clock for a while. "Well, I'm still tired." He pulled his red armor off and placed it by the bed. He plopped down on the bed.

Shana giggled. "Comfy, dear?"

Dart looked up at her. "As near as it's gonna get." He sat up and pounded on his pillow a bit, to soften it up. He lay back down. "Better."

Shana shook her head. Suddenly, she dropped her book and her hand came up to her stomach.

Dart looked up at her. "What?"

"The baby's kicking," Shana said.

Dart bolted up. "Let me feel!"

Shana placed his hand on her stomach.

A few moments passed and the kicking ceased.

"Frisky little guy," Dart commented.

"'Little guy'?" Shana asked.

"Well, 'it' jsut doesn't sound quite right," Dart said, leaning over her.

"I quite agree," Shana said.

Dart leaned down and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

Haschel cleared his throat. "I'll just ignore you two."

Dart looked up. "What?"

Haschel had shifted and was now looking the other direction.

"Kongol sees nothing wrong with showing affection," Kongol called from across the room.

"I agree with Kongol," Dart said.

Shana stuck her tongue out at Haschel. She grabbed Dart by the face and kissed him back.

  


-- -- --

  


Erisi stood outside the castle, letting the cool Serdian night air blow around her face. She closed her eyes and the air buffeted her platinum blonde hair around.

She gazed up at the clear, star-filled sky. _How many years has it been now that I have seen the moons? Many more than the others inside the castle. The _Moon That Never Sets_...it finally set two years back, never to rise again._

Erisi rolled a small, marble-like stone in the palm of her hand. It reflected the light from the stars, and it glowed iridescently as a result.

_Is this my destiny? Hmm, only the unseen force called fate that writes my destiny knows it._ Erisi thought. _Why am I here? What made me follow these people? Oh, I have so many questions that I cannot answer._

She placed a hand on her forehead, and ran her fingers over the intricate design on her silver tiara. A clear, diamond-like stone was set in the downward point of the tiara.

A stray dog ran around, barking up a storm. It ran up to Erisi, snarling. Erisi crouched down and gently touched the stray dog on the head. The rabid dog suddenly calmed down and wimpered.

"There's a good boy," Erisi whispered. She scratched the dog under the chin.

Two figures stole out of the castle. Meru and Claira. Erisi smiled and stood as the dog ran off. The duo froze when they saw her.

"Erisi," Meru said. "Why are you out so late?"

"I'm not tired," Erisi answered.

"Neither are we!" Claira took off down the stone steps. Meru followed her.

"Don't go waking up the entire city, you two!" Erisi called in a loud whisper.

"We won't!" Meru called back quietly.   
  


To be continued...


	5. The Specter of the Past

The Legend of Dragoon: The Divine Blessings

--Written by Naki

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter : 5 The Specter of the Past

  
  


Shana awoke the next morning to find the bedroom void of anyone else.

Still in her nightgown, she got up, and padded out in front of the stairs. She peeked into the dining room to see everyone enjoying breakfast, all save her husband and Albert.

She turned and snuck up the stairs.

She heard faint voices coming from the King's study. She inched over to the door, and found it slightly ajar.

She immediately recognized both voices that emanated from within. Dart and Albert.

_"Your dream changed too?"_ Albert asked.

_"Yeah, it said that this 'Specter of the Past' that she brought back to life would be coming soon,"_ Dart replied.

_"Same here. But, this thing going on with the Divine Children has me stumped,"_ Albert said.

_"How?"_ Dart asked.

_"Something inside me tells me to search for them,"_ Albert answered. _"It's a feeling I get in the pit of my stomach that tells me to find them or something ominous will happen."_

_"But, the way the Divine Daughter has appeared in our dreams, does that mean we'll meet her first?"_ Dart asked.

_"Maybe, I don't know,"_ Albert repsonded. _"But, I have decided it is necessary to search for them."_

_"I don't think that's right..."_ Albert said.

_"Why?"_ Dart asked.

_"There's no telling how long that will take. You know you have an obligation as a husband and as a soon-to-be-father to be by Shana's side when she has the baby,"_ Albert said.

_"I know, that's a promise I intend to keep,"_ Dart said.

_"A promise?"_ Albert asked. _"You promised? Have you told her?"_

_"No. It's a promise to myself. But, maybe I should tell her to make it a promise to her, also."_ Dart said.

_"A wise decision,"_ Albert knocked on the oak table with his hand. _"In the meantime, let's find out where to look for these Divine Children. Then, after Shana has the baby, we'll go."_

_"Sounds good,"_ Dart said, rising to his feet. _"But, right now, I'm gonna go check on Shana. She was sleepin' like a hibernation bear when I got up earlier. Just between you and me, I kinda hope she's still asleep. She'll let me have it for not waking me up earlier."_

_"Why is that?"_ Albert asked.

_"She hates waking up by herself. It makes her feel lonely,"_ Dart replied.

Shana heard footsteps nearing the door. She backed up.

Dart opened the door and saw her. "Hey, Hon, good morning."

"I was looking for you," Shana said.

"You were? How long have you been up?" Dart asked.

"Not long," Shana said. "Why didn't you wake me when you got up? You know I hate waking up by myself."

Dart scratched the back of his head. "Sorry."

Shana crossed her arms over her chest. "Don't you have something to say to me?"

Dart looked confused.

"I heard the conversation between you and Albert," Shana said. Dart looked shocked. "Don't you have something to say to me that just involves you, me, and our unborn baby?"

"Um..." Dart trailed off. He obviously didn't know how to word what he was going to say.

Shana smiled. "It's okay. I know you promise things to yourself everyday and don't keep them. But, I know from what kind of person you are, you are a very dedicated man in what you do, so I know any promise dealing with your family you'll keep."

Dart smiled. "I know...I try so hard to be the perfect husband, but..."

"No! I don't want you to try to be the perfect husband! No one's perfect, Dart. No one has or ever will be. So, I don't want you to try to be something you're not. Just be...you. I'm content with that." Shana said.

"Okay..." Dart said.

"Aww...it's a Kodak Moment."

Shana smiled. "Good morning, Albert."

"Are you going to stay in your nightgown all day?" Dart asked.

"If we're not going anywhere, yes," Shana answered, playing with her flannel nightgown.

Dart made a face.

"Oh, come on! I haven't ran around in my nightgown since I was little," Shana said. "Don't you remember coming over to my house in the middle of the day and I'd still be in my nightgown?"

"Yeah, I remember that," Dart said. "Me coming over and you being so embarrassed about it, you'd runinto your bedroom and change."

Shana blushed. "Well, that was when I was little."

"Exactly!" Dart said. "You're not little anymore. Please, go and change."

Shana pouted. "It's uncomfortable trying to change."

Dart folded his arms across his chest. "I've been in very uncomfortable situations before, Shana."

She glared at him. "You haven't been uncomfortable until you're nearly nine months pregnant!"

"Oooo," Albert said. "I'd like to see you beat that one, Dart."

Dart looked over at the King. "Albert..."

"Dart, I'm gonna have a baby in the not-to-distant future, so let me be a little carefree before I take on the responsibility of an adult mother," Shana said.

Dart sighed. "All right."

"You know, DArt, she shouldn't have to ask permission," Albert chided.

"I know," Dart said.

"Then why do you raise Cain when I don't ask?" Shana asked.

Dart bit his lip. "I don't know..."

  


-- -- --

  


It was around noon. Shana had changed into a loose-fitting, blue-checkered maternity dress. Dart snuck up behind her and slipped his arms around her, to rest on her stomach. This action startled her, and at first, she didn't know who it was."

"I'm gonna be a daddy," Dart said in a singsong voice. Shana smiled.

"And I'm gonna be a mommy," she turned her head so she looked at him. "Can you just imagine a little two year old running down the hall at our house calling, 'Mommy! Daddy!'?"

"Almost," Dart smiled. Suddenly, the ground began to shake. It happen in spurts, like something was dropping bombs on the city. "What the-?" He ran up the stairs into the Throne Room. "Albert!!"

He reached the top of the stairs and found Albert, Emille, and Claira on the balcony adjacent to the Throne Room. "What's goin' on?"

Albert turned to Dart. "It appears we're under attack, but by what?"

Emille pointed. "Look! It's a Wingly!"

Albert whirled around. "There are more of them! We're under attack by Winglies?"

"No! I know Winglies! They're not like this!" Claira said, thinking of Guaraha.

Meru suddenly appeared; she flew right up to the balcony. "Wait! Those aren't the same Winglies from my village. Look at their clothing. And besides, I know everyone in my village. I don't recognize any of those Winglies."

Erisi ran up to join them. "What's going on? Are we under attack?"

"Yes, Erisi!" Albert said, drawing his spear. "I want you to stay here and guard my family and Shana. Will you do that?"

Erisi nodded. "Yes...you will fight the Winglies?"

Dart nodded. "Of course. The Humans need the Dragoons now."

The Dragoons, and Claira departed for battle. With Emille and Shana inside the castle, Erisi remained momentarily on the balcony. She laid her hands on the stone railing. "Perfect..." she whispered, closing her eyes, "the specter is about to arrive."

  


-- -- --

  


Dart ran out along with Albert, Haschel, Kongol, Meru,and Claira. Claira had tagged along disregarding anything anyone else had to say. She claimed herself to be a master of the Martial Arts. Haschel had his doubts.

"So she says she's a master of the Martial Arts, huh! I doubt it seriously," Haschel said to himself. Phoenix landed on Haschel's shoulder.

"That's what I say, old man. I call her a 'Self-proclaimed master of the Martial Arts by her own definition'." Phoenix said.

Haschel just looked at the strange winged creature.

"Haschel! C'mon!" Dart called.

The group advanced out to where the Winglies were most congregated.

  


-- -- --

  


Dart unsheathed his sword. About a dozen Winglies landed onto the ground in front of them.

The leader sneered. "Humans. What a bunch of wingless, magic less, no-good trash."

Dart narrowed his eyes. He ignored the comment.

The leader called to a Wingly behind him. "Klarn!"

A shorter Wingly stepped forward. "Yes sir?"

"You are my strongest magical soldier below myself. If and when you find the King of Serdio, kill him!" The leader commanded.

Dart slid unnoticed in front of Albert. "If you honestly think you're going to pull some sort of coup de'tat on our Kingdom of Serdio, you have another thing coming!"

"You have your orders!" The leader snapped.

"Yes, General Repard!" Klarn said.

Haschel leaned over to Albert and whispered, "What made the Winglies so aggressive all of a sudden? Why have they attacked us Humans out of the clear blue like this?"

Albert shrugged. "I don't know."

Dart was unyielding to the Winglies. "Leave our country, Winglies!"

General Repard ignored the command.

One of the soldiers in the back piped up. "What makes the Humans think they're so bold?"

Another Wingly whirled around and reprimanded the lower-ranking Wingly. "Shut your trap, Private! General Repard didn't give you permission to talk!"

"Yes sir! I beg your pardon, Captain," the Private said.

"At ease, Blian, my second-in-command," Repard said.

Dart was losing his patience with the Winglies. "Why are you here?"

Repard returned Dart's glare. "This is my command, my Winglies! On my mark, you are to attack and destroy every Human in this city. The King is bound to be here, taking that Princess Lisa's Coming of Age happened enough time in the past for him to return to Indels castle. All of you may destroy any Human, but save the King for the magical assassin, Klarn, and save the one in red armor for myself."

Repard just stared at Dart. He raised his hand. "On my mark, get set, and..."

"WAIT!"

Repard froze. "Huh?"

Claira ran up. "Why are you doing this? The Winglies I know wouldn't have even thought of doing such a thing!"

Blian glared at Claira. "Huh! What would you know, Human? A creature like yourself would never be able to get along with Winglies!"

"You lie!" Claira exclaimed.

"Explain yourself, trash," Blian said.

"I spent five years of my life in a Wingly Forest! In those five years I Never aged and I also became best friends with two Winglies!" Claira said.

"It's only two!" Blian spat. "Two worthless Winglies who will eventually be turned around to see our point of view or be terminated."

"NO!" Claira exclaimed.

"They _will_ be terminated, like you are to be now," Blian pointed a hand at her.

"You will do no such thing!" Meru flew in.

Blian took a step back. "A Wingly girl? Coexisting with Humans?"

"That's right!" Meru said. "You will _not_ hurt my friend!" She stood in front of Claira.

"Then you shall die as well!" Blian fired strong magic power at Meru. Before it hit her, Meru's Dragoon Spirit reacted to the impending danger and resonated, sending out waves of protective magic to counterattack the Wingly's magic.

"Wha-what is that?" Blian asked.

"My Blue Sea Dragon Dragoon Spirit," Meru replied. "As you see, I am one of the legendary Dragoons."

"A Dragoon?!" Repard exclaimed. "The Dragoons were the ones who defeated Melbu Frahma twice!"

"Got that right bud," Meru said. The resonating stopped.

Repard's hand shot back up. "On my mark..." He dropped his hand. "Attack!"

The Winglies flew in, like a midsummer's breeze. General Repard attacked with a broad sword, similar to Dart's.

Albert faced one, Haschel faced one, and Kongol took on two, while Claira and Meru shard one.

"Kongol has hard time with people that fly," Kongol said, missing another swipe with his axe.

Albert knocked his opponent to the ground. "Take a gander over at Dart. He's got it worse."

"Um...I was just thinking Albert," Haschel knocked his opponent near senseless with a punch to the head. "That young 'un, Klarn, or whatever, the assassin. If he's supposed to kill the King, where do you think he'll look first?"

Albert's faced became alarmed. "No! the castle!"

"Little late to go back now," Haschel said. "Maybe we could send Meru, or somethin'."

"I'll take care of it," Albert said. His Dragoon Spirit started to resonate.

"I don't think so!" The Wingly had pulled himself up off the ground and ripped the Dragoon Spirit from Albert. Albert gasped. The Wingly grinned wickedly. "So, you're the King of Serdio...oh well. Since that dolt Klarn ain't here, I guess I'll finish the job for him."

Haschel's fight carried him away from Albert's conflict.

Dart shoved Repard to the ground.

Albert's opponent tripped Albert with a swift move. Albert hit the ground hard, riveted to the spot by a sword point to his throat.

Dart looked over at the pair. "Albert!!" Before he could do anything, Repard jumped onto Dart from behind, throwing his arms around Dart's neck, choking him. Dart flipped him over. Repard hit his head hard on a rock, which stunned him for a while. Dart whirled around to help Albert, but it was too late.

"Die!!" The Wingly brought his sword up, rearing back to bring it back down to swiftly end the life of Albert, King of Serdio.

Suddenly, the Wingly froze, his eyes staring off into space over Albert's head. Letting his eyes shift downward, Albert noticed that the Wingly had been impaled by...a spear. Albert gasped.

Dart whirled around to face the savior of Albert. A look of shock drew itself onto his features. "My god...it can't be..."

Albert pushed the body of the dead Wingly off of him. He looked up. And he saw a blonde haired young man. "That can't be... No, that's impossible!"

The young man relaxed, and looked from Albert to Dart several times. Dart saw past the van dyke the young man had grown on his face and saw whom it really was.

"Lavitz?" Dart asked. "Lavitz Slambert?"

The young man grinned a cocky grin that was so familiar to the name. "Yes. I am surprised you actually remembered my last name, Dart."

Dart smiled. Lavitz walked over and helped Albert up. Before anything else could occur, Lavitz saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head, he called, "Dart! Behind you!"

Dart whirled around to see Repard, holding his sword up, ready to strike.

"Die, Human!" Repard yelled.

As he struck down, a young woman with platinum blonde hair like Erisi's tackled Dart. The woman rolled off him when they hit the ground. Repard's sword hit the ground and it's point buried itself into the ground between Dart's legs.

Dart looked down. "Whoa! That's hitting a little below the belt!" He shifted and rolled out of the way.

Infuriated beyond words, Repard pulled his sword out of the ground, and prepared to slash down on the defenseless young woman. Before he could do such a thing, however, Lavitz was on him in a flash. Lavitz, with his hand around Repard's neck, raised him above his head.

"Don't you ever even have a whim to do that again!" Lavitz was obviously madder than Repard was previously. He threw the General to the ground.

The General jumped up. "Retreat!!"

He flew up into the air, followed by six other Winglies. Four Wingly soldier had fallen. One was kiled by Kongol, one by Haschel, one by Meru and Claira, and of course, the one by Lavitz.

"What? You're running away like a coward?" Lavitz taunted.

Repard glared at him. "A man who fights and runs away lives to fight another day." And with that, he and his six remaining followers left.

Lavitz looked to Dart and then to Albert. "I guess all's well now."

"Yeah," Dart said.

Lavitz walked over and kneeled in front of Albert.

Albert looked down at Lavitz and held a fake annoyance in his voice. "Oh, get up."

Lavitz complied. Albert threw his arms around Lavitz's shoulders and hugged him.

"I missed you, my First Knight," Albert said.

Lavitz smiled and hugged Dart as well.

"You know I missed you," Dart said. "I was about to tear Lloyd apart with my bear hands when he killed you."

"I realize that," Lavitz said. He looked around. "Where's Shana?"

Albert's face went ashen. "Oh god...the castle! That assassin was meant to assassinate me! He thinks I'm in my castle!"

"Their orders were to kill everyone in the city..." Meru said.

"Shana!" Dart took off towards the castle in a dead run. Albert and Lavitz had no trouble keeping up.

Dart burst into the castle. He heard screams come from the Throne Room. Hurrying up the stairs, followed closely by Lavitz and Albert, they piled into the Throne Room. Klarn had Queen Emille, her son, and Shana corner in a far corner of the room. Erisi stood in front of the others, protecting them. Klarn stood in front of them, wielding an iron spike. Even in front of danger, Erisi showed no signs of fear.

He pulled the spike back to strike, but Phoenix flew up and buried his small, but incredibly sharp fangs into the hand of Klarn. He dropped the spike and it hit the floor with a resounding clank. He threw Phoenix off, and Meru came up from behind him, tugging on him to get closer to the balcony adjacent to the Throne Room. He threw her off, but bumped into a large being. Whirling around, he came face-to-face with the biggest creature he had ever seen. Kongol. Angrily, Kongol picked him up by the head with one hand and effortlessly tossed him off the balcony. Not being on to react quickly, Klarn didn't use his wings and he hit the ground below with an almost sickening crunch.

Claira and Meru chanced a glance over the balcony edge.

"Oh, gross..." Claira had a sick look upon her face.

Meru shared the look. "I know...but, that just goes to show you don't mess with Kongol."

Dart was holding Shana in his arms. "Are you all right?"

"I was scared, Dart," Shana said.

"It's okay, I'm here now," he said, softly stroking the back of Shana's head.

"How have you been, Shana?" Lavitz asked.

Shana peeked over Dart's shoulder. "Who's that?"

"What? You don't recognized him?" Dart asked.

Shana shook her head.

"Oh, I'm hurt," Lavitz said sarcastically.

"That's the person who the Divine Daughter revived," Albert said. "It's Lavitz."

Shana looked shocked. "Lavitz?"

He got a good look at Shana. "Wow. Dart, when were you gonna tell me you were expecting?"

Dart made a face. "I'm not the one expecting anything. She is." He pointed to his wife.

Shana covered her mouth with a hand to stifle her giggles.

Lavitz rubbed his forehead with a hand. "Well, you know what I mean!"

Emille was busy trying to get her son to stop crying. Albert walked over to her and took him from her.

"Come on, Lav. Come to daddy," Albert said.

"'Come to daddy'?" Lavitz asked. "When did you have a baby? What's more, when did you get married?"

"I got married to this fine lady two years back. Lavitz here is nine months old."

"'Lavitz'?" Lavitz asked, smiling. "I'm flattered."

Prince Lavitz had stopped crying and was now playing with Albert's cape.

"I thought you might like that," Albert said.

Soft footsteps came up the stairs that led into the Throne Room. THe young blonde woman who saved Dart earlier peeked into the room. She slid in, keeping her hands behind her back. She stood there, unnoticed, until she spoke.

"You left me behind, Lavitz."

Lavitz turned around. "Deirdre." He walked over and put his arms around her. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right, but you know I couldn't just run after you," Deirdre said. "You know how physically weak I am."

"Is that your girlfriend, Lavitz?" Shana asked.

Lavitz turned back around. "You could say that. Everyone, this is Deirdre."

Deirdre waved shyly, and slid her arms around Lavitz's arm.

"Congrads, Lavitz, you got a girlfriend," Dart said. "That'll make your mom happy."

Lavitz smiled and blushed at the same time.

  
  


To be continued...


	6. Wingly Encampment

The Legend of Dragoon: The Divine Blessings

--Written by Naki

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter : 6 Wingly Encampment

  
  


"You're leaving?" Shana didn't believe what she heard. Dart rarely left her alone at Seles. Why would he start now?

Dart scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I'm sorry, but... We've got to find out why the Winglies have suddenly become so aggressive."

Shana hung her head. "But...what about the baby?"

Dart put his arms around Shana. "I promise that I'll try my best to be here when the baby's born. But, in the same frame of mind, I'm obligated to try my best to protect the peace and safety of this world our child will be born into."

"Oh, wow, I never thought of that," Shana said.

"See?" Dart said, pulling away and looked at her.

"I guess I'm being selfish," Shana said, turning away. "Who am I to have the right to want Dart Feld all to myself when a whole world of other Humans may need him? Go on ahead Dart, save the world once more. This is a sacrifice I'll have to make."

Claira walked in with Phoenix on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, but I overheard," Claira admitted. "But Shana, if it makes you feel any better, I'll leave Phoenix behind with you. He makes a great messenger."

Shana smiled at the thoughtful small lady. "Thank you. Yes, that will make me feel a lot better. That way, Dart'll know when he's about to become a daddy."

Dart grinned. "See? Nothing to worry about."

  


-- -- --

  


The next morning, Dart, along with Albert, Lavitz, Deirdre, Erisi, Meru, Claira, Kongol, and Haschel left Emille and Shana in the safety of Indels Castle.

"Where do we go first?" Claira asked.

"We're going back to where we were first attacked," Dart said. "There might be a connection between that attack and the Wingly attack on Bale."

"Attack? Ha, it was more like an attempt to overthrow the Serdian Government," Haschel said.

"It's called a 'coup de'tat', Haschel," Erisi corrected.

"Whatever," Haschel shrugged.

"At any rate, it is very odd for a species so close to extinction to suddenly threaten it's very existance by attacking a species with far greater numbers than them," Albert pointed out.

"Aren't the Dragoons the Winglies' archenemy?" Meru asked.

Albert, being one for proper English, automatically corrected Meru. "That's 'archenemies' Meru. Since you said 'Dragoons' to which you meant a plural, so therefore, the Winglies' 'archenemy' would be _a_ Dragoon. But, the Winglies' 'archenemies' are the Dragoons."

Meru rolled her eyes. "There goes Mr. Perfect in His English."

Claira stifled a giggle under Erisi's glare. Erisi cuffed Meru soundly on the head. "Mind your manners and pay respect to your elders and betters."

"Elders and what?" Meru said. "I have my own way of manners, thank you."

"Yes, but smartin' off to the wrong person at the wrong time will show that you can get in way over your head," Erisi warned. "So, before you say what you think... Think!"

Meru brushed her off with a wave of her hand. "I'll think about what I say later."

Albert was watching Meru. "You know she's right, don't you Meru?"

Meru, without turning around, replied, "I really don't care if she's right or not."

Claira just stared at her friend. "You've changed a lot, Meru."

"Yeah, so?" Meru looked at Claira. "And would you please stop looking at me like that?"

"That sounds like something Shana would have said," Haschel piped up. Dart glared at him. "What? All I remember is her catching you staring at her, Dart, and she would say, 'Why are you looking at me like that?'"

Albert chuckled. "He's right."

Having enough of her bad attitude, Claira just suddenly blurted out for everyone to hear, "Meru, are you PMSing or something?!"

Meru busted out into a fit of laughter. She fell to the ground, holding her sides. "I guess I am..." She managed to giggled out. "Be-be-because I've never acted l-l-like that be-be-before... Hahahahaha!"

Erisi, smiling, walked over to the pair. "Come on, giggling Wingly, and let's get going. C'mon, up on your feet now."

Claira pulled Meru up and for about a mile or so, Meru couldn't stop giggling.

Claira just looked at Meru strangely. "Did someone knock your giggle-box over or completely destroy it?"

  


-- -- --

  


Sometime around midday, Dart and co. arrived at the same place in the mountains right inside Tiberoa.

"Okay, now what?" Meru asked.

"We go in the direction in which the monsters came from," Dart replied. He shifted himself to face north and pointed. "That way."

The headed north. They traveled through hilly landscape until the ground suddenly opened up into flat, barren terrain.

"Where are we?" Meru asked.

Albert studied a map and ran a finger retracing their steps. "We are...west of the Barrens."

"Oh boy, that really helped," Meru commented, surveying their surroundings. "It's just like the Barrens...only flat." She gingerly stepped out onto the exposed sand and immediately jumped back. "Yowwch! Ow!" She fell back onto the rough crabgrass beneath their feet.

Dart looked down at her. "What's wrong with you?"

Meru pointed ahead. "Don't step out onto that sand! It burns like fire!"

Deirdre walked up to the brink of the crabgrass. "So, this is the Flameless Burning Land."

Lavitz looked over at her. "What do you mean?"

Deirdre turned around, and clasped her hands behind her back. "At the abbey in Mille Seseau where I was raised, the Father Abbot would tell me about the time of the Dragon Campaign. He would tell me of myths, and of prophecy of old. He once said that at one point in time, seen from this era, that prophecy and mythology intertwined. He said that during the Dragon Campaign, twin Divine Dragons were born and slain, only to have their spirits relinquished to two Winglies referred to as the Divine Children. Now that was the prophecy part. Now, the mythology was that they actually existed. No one has anything on them. Maybe except in encyclopedias, but they only have the mythology. But, in Dragon mythology, it was said that the Divine Daughter walked across this barren land, the Flamless Burning Land without harming herself. I was also said that she cooled the land down and allowed the Dragon Knights across."

Dart and Albert exchanged looks. This young woman, Deirdre, also knew of the Dragon Campaign, and more importantly, knew at least something of the Divine Children.

"It was also said that," Deirdre continued. "The Divine Children never died, that they lived on immortal. But, if they did exist, they most probably died along with the other Dragoons during the Dragon Campaign and are going to be reborn into someone like the prophecy said."

"Yes, well, prophets don't know everything," Erisi said.

Deirdre and the others cast a questioning look on Erisi. She looked back at them. "What? I was just stating a mere fact."

Claira smiled. "She's gotta point. No one on this planet, not even a prophet, really knows what's goin' on in the mind of Soa. No one knows exactly what he's planning."

"How do we cross?" Kongol asked, motioning bluntly towards the open land.

Deirdre looked over at the huge man. "I...I don't know." She bent down and pulled up a tough blade of crabgrass. Taking a glance at it, she tossed the blade onto the sand. It almost immediately caught fire and burned to ashes.

"Ouch," Claira observed. She looked at Meru. "Good thing you aren't a blade of grass, Meru."

"Oh, hush," Meru said, standing and brushing herself off. "I can get across that desert in no time." Her wings appeared, and she was lifted up into the air. "I won't be long. I just want to see what's on the other side."

"All right," Dart called. "Be back by dark."

"'Kay!" Meru waved as she took off through the air.

  


-- -- --

  


"Gosh, it's hot," Deirdre commented, fanning herself with her hand. Lavitz sat next to her.

"I agree, Serdio is much more milder than this...but, more humid," Lavitz said. "But, look on the bright side, at least the sun's setting soon."

"There's a plus," Haschel said sarcastically.

"Kongol is used to this kind of weather," Kongol spoke up.

Dart looked over at the Gigantos. "That's because you're the only one here from Tiberoa."

  


-- -- --

  


Meru returned at sunset. She wiped her hands over her face several times. "It was hot going across that."

Dart looked over at her expectantly. "Well? What's on the other side?"

"A Wingly village," Meru replied. "Well, more like a base. You know, like a war camp or somethin'."

"What an unexpected development," Albert said. "That's probably where the Winglies who attacked Bale came from."

Meru bobbed her head in agreement. "Yes! I saw a man there who looked like the guy at Bale...what was his name? Repard? Yes, that's it. General Repard, I saw him. I eavesdropped on a conversation he had with his troops. They know you guys are here, but they assume they're safe since they're on the other side of this burning wasteland and since Human's can't fly."

"They seem to have forgotten or even not realized our winged spy among us," Haschel piped up. "And who wer eyou to spy on the enemies' tactical conversations without us knowing?"

Meru grinned. "Well, I was over there! I thought I might as well bring something back."

"At any rate, that information is helpful. Thank you, Meru," Albert said.

Meru looked around. "Where's Claira?"

"I don't know," Albert said, standing.

"Claira!" Meru called, cupping her hands around her mouth.

"Meru! Do you really want to advertise to the fact that we're really here?" Dart hissed.

Meru called a hand over her mouth. "Sorry."

"Could she have run off?" Erisi asked.

Deirdre looked over at Erisi with a worried face. "I sure hope not. There's no telling what's out there."

"Besides Winglies," Meru added.

Erisi looked out into the barren landscape. "She couldn't have crossed that land if she didn't know..." She walked up to the edge and stood there.

"Erisi?" Albert asked.

"No, I guess not," Erisi backed up.

Screams rang out. Three figures were in the night sky. Two Winglies and...Claira. She was struggling hard to get free.

"Let me go!" Claira yelled.

"Enough of that, Human!" One Wingly snapped.

"Ow! The shrimp bit me!" The other Wingly let go of Claira and shook his hand.

"Claira!" Meru exclaimed. Erisi clapped her hands over Meru's mouth, silencing her.

"Quiet," Erisi advised. "We don't want them to know we're here."

Claira had managed to get a hand free and slugged her captor in the face.

The Wingly that held Claira held his face with a hand. "You know, we could just drop this kid and let her fall to her death."

His companion nursed his hand. "Then what would we tell the General?"

"Easy. That there was no Human or Humans like he thought." Claira's captor said. He released his hold on Claira and she plummeted like a rock towards the ground.

Suddenly, a male Wingly, with strange black hair appeared and caught Claira.

The two other Winglies looked shocked.

"Traitor!" The two Winglies powered up their magic to attack.

All of a sudden, two Dragoons set upon the opposing Winglies. A dark-haired woman bore the Dragoon Spirit of the Darkness Dragon, while a young man with long blonde hair bore the Dragoon Spirit of the Red-Eyed Dragon.

As the Dragoons fought and defeated the Winglies with ease, the dark-haired Wingly gently set Claira down onto the ground.

ERisi gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. _That can't be..._

As quickly as they had come, the Wingly and his two Dragoon companions left.

Claira watched them go. "The one in red looked a little like my big brother."

"Claira!" Meru called, running up to her.

Claira turned around. "Yes?"

"Are you all right?" Meru asked, urgency in her voice.

"I'm fine," Claira responded with a shrug.

  


-- -- --

  


They soon set camp. With no tree around, Meru came up with an idea and collected bundles of the tall crabgrass that grew around the large boulders that peppered the landscape.

"Who were those people?" Deirdre asked as Meru used what little magic she had to set fire to the bundles of crabgrass. A small bondfire ensued.

"Winglies. The Winglies I knew weren't like that," Claira said. "Well, the ones around my age at the time only picked on me and tossed me around."

Meru grinned. "And then they would scatter like butterflies in a whirlwind when Guaraha showed up. He was like your Guardian Angel."

"You cold say that," Claira said. "Since I never aged those five years, he called me 'Small Lady' 'cause I was five years older than my appearance."

Dart looked sternly over at Claira. "And where did you run off to before those Winglies got a hold of you?"

Claira stared at the ground. "I was hoping to find away around this barren land. I...I wanted to help Meru out."

Dart shook his head, and Deirdre piped up. "Not this land. No way around it. Now that I look at it, maybe the Dragon Mythology is actually true."

"Dragon Mythology?" Albert asked. "Could you tell us more about it?"

"Sure," Deirdre answered. "I know a lot about it. It is said in prophecy that the offspring of the Divine Dragon that represented the antipodes will come into the world, but will shortly be slain. Their spirits would be encased inside small glass balls and each given to a 'winged Human'. The one with the spirit representing death was the stronger of the two with physical strength. The Divine Daughter, the holder of the life spirit, could 'walk on water' so to say. She supposedly walked across this burning wasteland as I told you before. The Divine Son couldn't. It was written that the Winglies sought after the Divine Daughter after they discovered her. Naturally, the Dragon Knights protected her."

"Why was she sought after?" Meru asked.

"Because of her great magical power. Prophecy states that the youngest daughter, the last princess of the Wingly Royal Family, who in Dragon Mythology was the Divine Daughter, had the strongest known magical power in the world. Greater even then Melbu Frahma," Deirdre explained.

Dart and Albert exchanged looks. "How powerful?" Dart asked.

Deirdre met his eyes with a serious expression. "Powerful enough to destroy an entire planet."

"Whoa," Claira breathed.

"What really points out the near truthfulness of this is the Wingly encampment on the other side of this desert," Deirdre said. "Just as both the mythology and prophecy states."

Conversation carried on as Erisi sat alone with her back up against a large boulder with her arms folded across her chest. _Everything as she foretold is correct. Deirdre, what are you? Who are you?_ Erisi looked up and stared into the night sky at the bright pointed stars. She remembered the three saviors from earlier tha tnight. She centered her thoughts on the Wingly who saved Claira. _Matthias...that was you, wasn't it? I miss you so much, and I know you long for me too. Why can't we end this game of hide-and-go seek? Can't we just be reunited and end our sorrow?_

  
  


To be continued...


	7. The Valley of Corrupted Gravity

The Legend of Dragoon: The Divine Blessings

--Written by Naki

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter : 7 The Valley of Corrupted Gravity

  
  


Erisi was the first one up the next morning. The embers of their bonfire still glowed slightly red in the morning's dew. She climbed up onto a boulder and sat there with her knees folded up to her chest.

"So, the Wingly refuge war camp is still there," Erisi whispered as she stared out into the desert. She rested her chin on her knees as her keen eyesight picked up slight movement. Winglies. Winglies have always been early-risers on average, and they were heading towards them.

Erisi quickly slid off her rock, lest she be seen. Crouching behind the boulder, she watched the Winglies fly overhead. They headed west, and Erisi knew exactly where their destination would be.

"The Valley of Corupted Gravity," she said. "That's where they're headed."

Erisi stood, and froze when she heard a low, high-pitched cry.

She spotted a dark spot on the ground and headed for it. The dark spot turned out to be a wounded animal. Erisi bent over and scooped it up in her arms. It was a creature just like Phoenix.

"Oh, it's a Manoo," Erisi whispered. The Manoo, female, had dark brown fur with a golden colored streak down her back.

The Manoo opened her eyes. She had silver eyes. "Who are...?" Her eyes widened. "Oh, you must be..."

"Shh," Erisi said. "Don't talk."

"It's my wing," the Manoo said. "I think it's broken."

Erisi sat down on a boulder again and gently set the Manoo on her lap. She gently rubbed the Manoo's wing and the pain receded and seemed to mend itself.

The Manoo stood and experimently flapped her wings. "Thank you very much! My name is Sun Raye."

"Well, Sun Raye, my name is Erisi, and I know another Manoo. He has light brown fur from head to tail." Erisi said.

"He?" Sun Raye asked. "What's his name?"

"Phoenix," Erisi answered. "And you, how'd you get a name like Sun Raye?"

"My mother," Sun Raye answered. "She was a rather smart Manoo for a wild one. She liked the sun-like streak down the middle of my back."

Erisi held Sun Raye in her arms. "You're so soft."

Sun Raye purred happily.

Claira woke up. Rubbing her eyes sleepily, she walked over to Erisi.

"You're up early," Claira muttered.

Erisi looked over at her. "Claira, time to wake up. Not too long ago, a whole fleet of Winglies passed overhead from that village. They're headed for the Valley of Corrupted Gravity."

Claira blinked her eyes several times. "They Valley of Corrupted Gravity?" She saw Sun Raye. "Oh! She's so cute! She looks like my Phoenix!"

"I would like to meet this Phoenix," Sun Raye said. "Seeing that my kind are endangered and rare."

"What's her name?" Claira asked.

"Sun Raye," Erisi replied. "She's a very pretty Manoo."

The others started waking up.

Erisi rushed over to them. "Albert! Dart! The Winglies, they have left for the Valley of Corrupted Gravity!"

"What?" Dart asked.

"The Valley of Corrupted Gravity?" Albert said. "How do you know?"

"I saw them leave in that direction," Erisi said.

"Great," Dart muttered.

"Are you sure?" Haschel asked.

Erisi was beginning to get slightly annoyed. She pointed west. "The only thing in that direction besides Mille Seseau is the Valley of Corrupted Gravity and the Home of Giganto. And in order to get to the Home of Giganto, one would need to pass through the Valley of Corrupted Gravity."

"Ok, whatever," Meru said, sitting up. "Let's go."

"Wait a second," Dart said. "Don't we need permission from Albert's father-in-law to go there?"

"Albert's father-in-law?" Claira asked.

Erisi looked at her. "King Zior of Tiberoa."

"Why don't we go check it out?" Deirdre suggested. "Maybe they went through the Valley of Corrupted Gravity. If that's the case, we could just go to Fletz and get permission. I mean, with Albert, that shouldn't be too hard."

"Where would they go if they went through the Valley of Corrupted Gravity?" Claira asked.

Before anyone else could answer, Sun Raye piped up. She sat on Erisi's shoulder.

"The Home of Giganto. Two years ago, it was used as a thieves' hideout." Sun Raye said.

"Kongol is from there," Kongol said.

"That's obvious, big guy," Sun Raye replied. "You're a Giganto."

  


-- -- --

  


Dart and co. came up to the gate that separated them from the Valley of Corrupted Gravity. Someone powerful blew a large, gaping hole into the gate.

Dart had only one thing to say. "Winglies."

"I agree," Albert said. "No creature is this physically strong. Maybe Kongol, but he's the last Gigantos and he's been with us the whole time."

Lavitz walked up to the hole and inspected the ragged edges around it.

"Where are the guards?" Meru asked.

"Good question," Lavitz replied.

Sun Raye sniffed the air and flew up to the abandoned guard posts. She sniffed the wooden planked scaffold.

_Blood._ Sun Raye thought, inspecting the darkened stains on the wood.

She flew back down to Erisi. "There are blood stains on the flooring up there."

"Really?" Erisi asked.

"Blood from whom?" Dart asked.

"Winglies, I hope," Haschel commented.

Sun Raye shook her head. "No. It was Human blood."

"How can you tell?" Lavitz asked.

Sun Raye sat on Erisi's shoulder. "Wingly blood as a different odor to it than Human blood. It's hardly noticable, but there's a difference. We Manoos have evolved to have the ability to speak, have 'advanced' intelligence, and a great sense of smell."

"So, this means that the Tiberoan guards are dead?" Claira asked.

"Maybe, maybe not," Sun Raye said. "The Winglies may be killed them and disposed of their bodies, but by the looks of it, they probably wounded them and took them hostage."

  


-- -- --

  


The Valley of Corrupted Gravity fascinated Claira. She looked around, watching chunks of rock free-floating up and down. "How did this happen? I mean it does seem kinda obvious that this wasn't caused by some bizarre natural phenomenon."

"It was the clash between Wingly and Dragoon magic that caused this deformed gravity," Erisi explained. "Winglies can't fly through here. So, since we're trailing Winglies, we know they're on foot."

"Why can't they fly?" Claira asked.

Erisi held Sun Raye in her arms. "Flying creatures like Winglies can't fly through here because of the disrupted gravity. The gravitational pull is now equal up and down instead of the gravitational pull being more prominent downward. So flying creatures can't cope with that, and they are normally just thrown sideways."

Meru looked over at Sun Raye, whom looked sick to her stomach. "What's wrong, Sun Raye?"

"It's this gravity, I think. My body isn't used to this awkward gravitational pull, and it's making me feel sick." Sun Raye answered.

Claira patted Sun Raye on the head. "You'll feel better soon."

  


-- -- --

  


They soon exited the Valley of Corrupted Gravity.

"What's that?" Claira asked, squinting her eyes to see the vast ruins in the distance.

"The Home of Giganto," Dart answered.

"Wait!" Meru said.

Dart, Albert, Lavitz, and Haschel froze and turned around.

"What?" Dart asked.

"Isn't it at all possible that the Winglies could be using the Home of Giganto as a hideout?" Meru asked.

Dart shrugged.

"Yes, I suppose it is possible," Albert said.

"Well, a group of..." Meru paused, taking a head count, "nine people would be rather noticable to a sentry, wouldn't it?"

Dart exchaned glances with Albert, Lavitz, and Haschel.

"Wow, I don't believe it," Haschel said suddenly, breaking the silence. "I'm actually siding with Meru What she says has sense."

"What are you suggesting, Meru?" Lavitz asked.

"Well, isn't it obvious?" Meru put her hands on her hips. "You guys used me as a spy once before. Why not again?"

"Why not?" Lavitz said.

Dart jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Go ahead. Just don't get yourself in trouble."

Meru shot up into the air.

Sun Raye looked over at Erisi. "Can I follow her?"

"Be my guest," Erisi said.

Sun Raye rose up into the sky, flapping her feathery wings, and let out a loud squeak about five feet up.

"What's wrong?" Erisi called.

"Look! Meru!" Sun Raye answered.

Meru had run into another Wingly who had black hair. It was obvious that they were having a heated argument. However, it seemed as if Meru was just yelling at the stranger, and he was keeping quiet. He smiled, and flew past her. As he did so, he grabbed hold of Meru's wrist and dragged her along. They landed atop a high wall, and crouched behind a large stone statue, hidden from sight.

  


-- -- --

  


"Now what?" Meru whispered.

"We wait," the stranger said. He looked at Meru. "Is today special, or are you always yelling at strangers?"

Meru blushed. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm not used to strange Winglies."

"I know how that feels," he said. He offered his hand to her. "I'm Matthias."

"Meru." Meru grinned.

"Look!" Matthias whispered urgently. Two figures appeared below. Meru slunk behind an adjacent stone statue.

Meru gasped as she saw the two figures. "That-that's him!"

"Who?" Matthias asked.

"It's Repard!" Meru answered. "He led an attack on Bale."

"He makes me sick," Matthias said. Meru looked at him with a curious look on her face. He wore an expression of disgust. "You were right, Rose. Winglies who hold onto the glory of the past are disgusting."

"You knew Rose?" Meru asked.

"Yeah," Matthias answered. "You too?"

Meru nodded. "We fought against Melbu Frahma together in the Moon That Never Sets two years ago. Even though I'm a Wingly, I can still be a Dragoon!"

"A Dragoon, huh?" Matthias said, turning his head back towards the pair below them. "A Dragon Master..."

"Yep!" Meru said, smiling. Her smile quickly faded away. "Yeah, I, um..."

Matthias turned his head towards her. "What?"

She was staring behind him with a frightened look on her face. He whirled around.

"Well, well, well..." a Wingly guard walked up. "What do we have here? A couple of spies, no doubt."

Meru gulped. They had been caught.

  


-- -- --

  


"Looks to me as if she's cooperating with that other Wingly pretty well," Claira said.

"Let's hope," Dart said, looking up towards the ruins, with his right hand up, shielding his eyes.

A scream suddenly tore though the peace of the countryside.

  


-- -- --

  


"Run Meru!" Matthias yelled.

A second Wingly guard snuck up behind Meru, but she saw his shadow, whirled around, screamed, and knocked him upside the head with her hammer. The blow knocked the guard clean off the wall, and he fell to the ground with a dull thud.

She jumped up on top of a large stone statue. "Matthias!"

Matthias shoved the first guard to the floor of the wall ramparts. "Don't worry about me, just go, Meru!"

Winglies flew in from everywhere. Many of which were wielding swords. As they closed in on her, she flew upwards from her perch, into the air.

"She's a Wingly!" One of the Wingly soldiers exclaimed.

Boy, hadn't she heard _that_ too many times.

Below, Matthias shot upwards into the air out of a pile of Winglies. He carried with him a long javelin. He didn't bring out his wings until he was up to Meru's altitude.

"Wow," Meru said, looking impressed. "Don't tell me. You're a lancer, right?"

Matthias shrugged. "You could say that."

"_Both_ of them are Winglies!" Another soldier said.

"What are you waiting for, get them!" A familiar voice called.

  


-- -- --

  


"Uh-oh, looks like trouble," Lavitz said, observing the ruins.

Dart made a sound that sounded like half a laugh. "'Uh-oh'?"

"What?" Lavitz asked.

"I never thought 'uh-oh' would ever be in your vocabulary, Lavitz," Dart said, smiling.

"Why not?"

Dart put his hands on his hips and tried to impersonate Lavitz. "'Tut, such a trifle wound.'" He blew a raspberry. "What was that? Never in my life had I heard someone use words like 'tut' until I met you."

"And your meaning would be...?" Lavitz smiled. "Stop teasing me."

Dart placed a hand on his forehead in fake exasperation. "Must you rhyme?"

Lavitz laughed.

"Um, guys," Deirdre called. "I think you two should be watching this."

  


-- -- --

  


Meru caught a glimpse of the man who'd given the order to attack. She gritted her teeth together.

"Blian, I shoulda known," Meru said through clenched teeth.

The fight for survival had begun. Meru turned her head to check on Matthias; she didn't need to. He seemed to be holding his own...far better than his opponenets were. Meru was impressed by his physical strength and stamina. As she did so, however, a Wingly soldier swung his sword at her head. He missed her head, but sliced clean through the ribbon she wore to hold her hair in the ponytail. Meru froze; the severed ribbon's two pieces fell from her hair and drifted slowly to the ground as her long platinum hair hit her shoulders. Meru's surprised expression suddenly melted away to reveal anger.

"You...CREEP!!" Meru yelled. "LOOK WHAT YOU DID!!"

Matthias stood safely on the sidelines; he'd seen a female Dragoon pissed once before, and didn't want to be caught in the middle of it...again.

"YOU ALMOST DECAPITATED ME!" Meru yelled. All the Wingly soldiers had backed away from her except the culprit; he stood rooted to the spot, fifty feet above ground.

This would've hilarious if it weren't for the serious tone of events.

"YOU'LL PAY!!" Meru screamed.

No one, not even Meru, expected what was to happen next.

  


-- -- --

  


A sudden supernova of bright blue light temporary blinded Dart and co. as they raced towards the Home of Giganto.

"God, what is that?" Dart said, shielding his eyes with his arms.

"I think the question is," Haschel said, his hand up to his face. "_Who_ is it?"

  


-- -- --

  


When the intense blue light subsided, a platinum-haired Blue Sea Dragoon stood in mid-air, holding in immense hammer.

"Oh." Matthias said. "She really _is_ a Dragoon. The Blue Sea Dragoon."

The Winglies scattered. "She's a Dragoon!"

"QUIET!"

The Winglies congregated swiftly into a group. General Repard raised into the air, flanked by Captain Blian, his second-in-command.

"Repard..." Meru growled.

"Repard, huh?" Matthias said suddenly. He flew over next to Meru. "I know the name. There was a General Repard during the Dragon Campaign, correct?"

General Repard nodded. "Yes. I am his descendant."

  


-- -- --

  


Dart and co. ran into the ruins. They halted, looked up, and heard every word spoken.

  


-- -- --

  


"But...how do you know about General Bied Repard?" General Repard asked.

Matthias grinned rather nastily. "Because..._I_ was the one who killed him."

"What?" Repard said.

Meru gasped. "Matthias...what...?"

A jet-black light began to resonate at his chest. When the resonating stopped, Matthias spoke. "Yes, I came from the time of the Dragon Campaign. I fought on the side of the Humans, for I believed in their struggle to survive."

"Who are you?" Blian asked.

Matthias glanced at him. "I was called the Dragoon of Death, but was more commonly known as Matthias, the Divine Son."

There was a silence.

"Matthias!"

Matthias glanced downward. "No..." His eyes grew wide as he knew the danger that had befallen her. "No, Erisi! Run!" Many Winglies suddenly tackled him.

"Leave him alone!"

Matthias froze. That voice...no...

Blian turned and looked down. He sneered. "A small girl. Go home to mommy before you scrape your knees, little girl."

"I am _not_ a little girl," Deirdre said, the coldness of her voice echoed around. "Leave him be."

Matthias looked back down. _That's not Erisi...who is that? Could that be...?_

Blian stretched a hand out towards Deirdre. A red ball of magic formed in the palm of his hand.

"Deirdre!" Lavitz called.

The red ball shot from Blian's hand and at Deirdre. In response to this, Deirdre put her right hand up, angled at Blian. The ball of magic right on her hand and exploded. Clouds of dust and smoke flew into the air.

Coughs rang through the air.

"I--*cough*--I don't believe it," Dart said, nearly choking on the dust. "She _caught_ it!"

When the dust receded, Deirdre wasn't there.

"Deirdre?" Lavitz said. "Where is she?"

"Look!" Albert pointed upwards.

Deirdre stood up in the air, in the same pose as before, not a scratch on her...except...transparent blue dagger-shaped wings had sprouted from her back.

"My god..." Lavitz muttered.

"I can't believe it," Dart said. "She's a Wingly."

Meru stared at Deirdre. "I don't believe what I'm seeing..."

Deirdre fell suddenly from her pose, doubling over, and clutching her chest. She was breathing heavily.

Blian's shocked look fell into an immense grin of relief. "Well, it seems that our little heroine bit off more than she could chew."

"Now that we have seen what she can do," Repard said, moving forward. "Secure her. She may be valuable to our cause. For all we know, she could be the Divine Daughter."

Deirdre the Divine Daughter? This was too much for Lavitz.

"Leave her be!" He yelled as a burly Wingly male came up behind Deirdre and trapped her arms to her sides with his own strength.

"Let her go!" Meru snarled as she zipped over, swinging her immense hammer. She caught Blian on the side of the head with it, and he fell from the sky like a rock.

Landing on the stone ground, he pulled himself up with a groan. He held the side of his bleeding head. "You'll pay for that, brat." He powered up a strong magic blast.

Before he could really do anything else, Claira came out of nowhere and slammed a fist into his stomach, then into his chin in a swift uppercut, and then flipped over, driving her toes into his face.

"Somersault!" Claira cried.

Blian was knocked clear off his feet, and before Claira could do anyting but stand, another burly male Wingly caught her from behind. She struggled to get out of his grasp, but he took flight before she could.

A Wingly soldier snuck up behind Meru and hammered her hard on the back of the head with the flat of a blade. This caused Meru to fall from her Dragoon state and to unconsciousness. Two small stout Wingly men caught her.

"Enough of this!" Repard called. "Take them to HQ. And be quick about it." As the others Winglies left, Repard flew over to Blian, who was nursing his wounds. He dealt his subordinate a hefty blow to the back of the head. "How could you be harmed by those weaklings?"

"Forgive me General!" Blian begged, cowering in the glare of his superior officer.

"Follow the others, and get out of my sight," Repard said, a threatening edge to his voice. Blian slunk away, tailing the rest of the Winglies.

Repard turned to face his opponents. "Let you be warned, Humans. A war is coming. And this time, you won't be on the winning side." With that, he turned and left.

  


-- -- --

  


"How would we know where to find them?" Dart asked suddenly.

Albert sat down on a chunk of rock that appeared to have once been an arm to an enormous eroded statue. He propped his chin up on the heels of his hands as his elbows rested on his knees.

Lavitz leaned up against a fallen statue. He glanced up at a silhoetted figure on the wall top. "Looks as if he thinks all this doesn't concern him. Why does he keep hanging around?"

"No. To him, this event does concern him," Erisi said, standing in the shadows of a statue.

Lavitz turned his head to look at her. "What do you mean?"

Erisi emerged out into the blazing sunlight. "He's blaming himself for what happened."

Lavitz snapped his back around to his front. "Why should he?"

Erisi placed a hand on Lavitz's arm. "Please don't feel contempt for Matthias. I thought he had grown out of that. Listen, he feels remorse because he couldn't stop what happened to them."

Matthias walked up.

Erisi removed her hand from Lavitz's arm and dropped it to her side. "Matthias..."

"Erisi," Matthias said. "I believe I know where they are."

Lavitz looked taken back. "You do."

Matthias glanced over at Lavitz. "I realize you must be displeased with my earlier acitons. But, if you consent," he motioned to the whole group, "if all of you consent to forgive me for my mishaps, it would make the atmosphere more friendly for our journey."

"Journey?" Erisi asked.

"Like I said, I believe I know where the Winglies are based." His expression turned serious. "And it's not a friendly place either."

Erisi looked shocked. "It's-it's not where I think it is is it?"

"Depends on what you're thinking of," Matthias said. "To me, however, it's like home."

"Matthias, they're just...children!" Erisi exclaimed. "They can't be taken to a place like that!"

"Deirdre's not a child," Lavitz piped up.

Erisi glanced at him briefly. I was referring to Claira and Meru."

"What kind of place would be almost like home to you?" Dart asked.

Erisi whirled around. "Just think about it, Dart! Matthias is the 'Omega', the end. He represents death! They've been taken to the Death City Mayfil!"

"Mayfil? That's no place for them! Deirdre's far too fragile for an enviroment like that!" Lavitz exclaimed. "I should know I've been there!"

"Of course," Matthias snapped. "Where do you think the Princess rose you from?"

Lavitz opened his mouth the argue, but was forestalled by Albert.

"Enough bickering. That won't get us anywhere," Albert chided.

Lavitz turned around. "Yes, King Albert."

Haschel turned to Matthias. "Question."

"Yes?" Matthias asked.

"How could you tell that they're in Mayfil?" Haschel asked.

"I sensed what felt like a twinge through my magical connection with this planet," Matthias tapped the side of his head as he explained. "Winglies such as myself who have survived since the Dragon Campaign still have the ability to sense other Winglies by their magic component. Nowadays, since Wingly magic is declining, I can no longer sense many other Winglies."

"But," Dart interjected, but was held off by Matthias' look.

"The twinge I felt was not of Wingly descent," Matthias continued. "I felt that twinge many times during the Dragon Campaign. Not too long ago, a Dragoon spirit resonated from the dark depths of Mayfil."

There was a momentary silence.

Finally, Dart broke the silence. "We won't get far on foot. Let's head to Fletz, and talk to King Zior about it. Then, if we can, hitch a ride on the _Queen Fury_, and get to Deningrad in Mille Seseau to pick up Miranda."

"That's not a bad idea, Dart," Albert said. "We'll have no trouble getting to our destination."

Haschel grinned. "That's only because King Zior's rather fond of you, Albert."

"That's an advantage," Lavitz added.

"Let's go," Dart said, taking one last look around.

  
  


To be continued...


	8. Death City Mayfil

The Legend of Dragoon: The Divine Blessings

--Written by Naki

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter 8 : Death City Mayfil

  
  


"Where are we?" Claira asked. The darkness of their destination loomed before them as they were marched like slaves by the Wingly guards behind them.

Meru threw Claira a worried look. "From the appearance," she glanced upwards at the building in the distance. Small white specks seemed to be sucked right into the building. She shuddered.

"What?" Deirdre asked.

"Where are we Meru?" Claira asked, her voice betraying her fear.

"We're in the Death City Mayfil," Meru answered. "The ancient Wingly city of Death."

Claira gasped as they passed through mist. A Wingly guard suddenly shoved Claira in the back to keep her going forward and she plunged ahead, just as an apparition went by. Claira screamed.

"Keep going," came a gruff demand behind them.

Meru placed a hand on Claira's shoulder. "It's all right, Claira. I've been here before."

"That's not very reassuring," Claira replied.

"This place gives me the creeps," Deirdre said.

"I think that applies to all of us," Meru said.

They entered the enormous black building. Deirdre shuddered.

"What's wrong?" Claira asked.

Deirdre hugged her arms to herself. "This-this place is so full of death, I can sense it even in the air!"

Meru exchanged looks with Claira as they halted.

"Deirdre," Meru said. "_Are_ you the Divine Daughter?"

Deirdre looked at Meru. "Couldn't tell you. I have no memory of what I used to be before I went to the abbey."

A loud click sounded behind them.

Meru whirled around. "They've locked us in!"

"And with two ugly guards," Claira said in disgust.

"Why you little-!" One of the guards started to draw his sword, but the second stopped him.

"Stop," he said. "You know we're not allowed to harm them."

The first guard reluctantly sheathed his sword.

Claira turned to Meru. "So, now what? Looks like we're stuck here."

Meru looked over at Deirdre. "You wouldn't know an games or anything to pass the time, would you?"

Deirdre smiled. "Sorry, I don't know any games, but I do know a lot of stories."

"Story time!" Claira said, grinning.

Deirdre carefully sat down on the slightly moldy floor. Claira and Meru followed.

  


-- -- --

  


A loud click resounded.

"Finally!" Meru jumped up and dusted herself off.

Four Wingly men strolled into the room. Repard and Blian came into view, flanked by two bodyguards. Repard dismissed the men who had been guarding the cell with a wave of his hand.

Repard crossed his arms. "So..."

"So what?" Meru snapped. Deirdre placed a hand on Meru's shoulder to silence her.

"No need to get snappy," Repard said gently. "I just want to know something."

"Want to know what?" This time it was Claira's turn to snap.

"Claira..." Deirdre admonished in a quiet voice.

"Oh, nothing much," Repard said, turning towards Meru. "Seeing as that you're supposedly a Dragoon, you could tell me something about a topic that's closely associated with both Dragoons and Winglies. Seeing that you're both, of course."

_All right, what's he up to?_ Deirdre thought.

"I ain't telling you anything!" Meru said defensively.

"Well, we could to do this the easy way, since I'm asking, you could answer," Repard said. "But, believe me, there _are_ alternate options to get it out."

"Is that a threat?" Claira demanded.

"No," Repard answered. "More like...an ultimatum."

Blian lifted a hand up and snapped his fingers. The two bodyguards with them swiftly moved from behind the General to Meru and restrained her by holding her arms behind her.

Meru stuggled momentarily. Seeing as that was useless, she glared at Repard. "What do you want?"

Repard smiled. The somewhat "friendly" smile didn't stretch to his eyes, which remained cold and insensitive. "The Moon Child...whatever her name is...she's expecting, correct?"

Meru didn't like that at all. "I won't tell you anything dealing with Shana, you creep! I won't tell you _anything_, got it?!"

"Such a pit," Repard said, shaking his head.

"What do you mean, a pity?" Claira asked.

"Since she won't tellus, we'll have to kill all three of you," Repard said. "Bane has commanded us to."

"Bane?" Deirdre asked. Her face paled.

"What?" Claira inquired.

"Bane means death..." Deirdre said.

"You have that correct, young one," Repard said. He turned to his bodyguards. "Dispose of the little one first."

One of the bodyguards nodded his head and went to draw his sword from its sheath at his waist.

"Setting your base here, Repard, you will soon learn what death is really like..." a dead-like voice echoed from the background. "You will soon experience permanent residency here at Mayfil."

The bodyguard with his sword out whirled around, expecting to see a person standing there. He only saw darkness and white mist.

Suddenly, a figure darted out of the mist and slugged the armed Wingly in the face. The figure, from what Meru saw at a mere glance, had long, dark hair and was armed with a blade of some sort. The shape of the sword looked oddly familiar to Meru...

The figure soon took the lives of the bodyguards, freeing Meru.

"I warned you, Repard." The figure said.

There was something about that voice...

"Who are you?" Repard demanded.

The figure stood. It was a transparent apparition. It stood with its back to them, its sword pointed diagonally away from the side of its body. "Who I am bears no meaning to the likes of you, Repard."

There was _definitely_ something familiar about that stance...

The apparition turned slightly and looked over its shoulder. On its face (or what should've been a face) was drawn a passive look with a frown that showed slight anger.

Meru's memory came whirling back to her.

"_Rose_?!"

  


-- -- --

  


"What's that?" Matthias asked, pointing to twin peaks in the distance.

Erisi backed up to walk beside him. "Those are the twin towers of the castle in Fletz."

"Yes, I remember now," Matthias smiled at Erisi. He slid an arm around her shoulders. "It's good to see you again, Erisi."

She returned his smile. "Ditto, Matthi-- Ow!"

Dart and the others froze at her yell. In response, they turned around.

Erisi was bent over, clutching her foot.

Matthias looked down at her. "What'd you do?"

"I stepped on something, you idiot!" Erisi snapped.

"Are you okay, Erisi?" Albert called.

"I will be once it quits hurting!" Erisi answered. She winced as she finally pulled the object from her foot. She held it up to inspect it. The object was metal, and was irregularly shaped so that it resembled a rough piece of shrapnel with no symmetry. Where the group was standing looked ideal for a past battle ground. The shard of metal Erisi held in her hand probably came to be as the result of a shattered sword blade. The metal shard was tinted red from blood after it pierced the sole of her foot.

Dart made a face. "Ouch."

"I'm bleeding," Erisi said, looking down. A small pool of red had appeared beneath her foot. She winced as she attempted to take a step. "Great," she said sarcastically. "I'm lame too."

Matthias spread his arms apart. "Come here."

Erisi looked at him. "What?"

"I'll carry you," Matthias said.

Erisi grinned. "All right, then." She hopped over to him.

He bent down, allowing her to latch her arms around his neck. He then scooped her up effortlessly, his right arm cradling her back, and his left arm under her knees.

"Ok, let's go," Matthias said.

  


-- -- --

  


"Rose?!" Meru said again, not believing her eyes.

The apparition nodded at Meru, and then turned her gaze on Repard.

"What do you want?" Repard demanded.

The apparition narrowed her eyes. "Leave."

Repard didn't leave.

Blian took a step back. "Not to be meaning any disrespect at all, General, but I think we should listen to her."

"Are you saying you're scared of a ghost?" Repard spat.

The "ghost" brandished her rapier. She lunged at Repard.

In fear, both Repard and Blian turned and ran out of the cell.

Claira laughed. "What cowards!" 

The apparition stood in the doorway. She turned to face the trio.

"Rose! It _is_ you!" Meru exclaimed.

"Yes," Rose said. "It's not safe here. You three must leave."

"How?" Deirdre asked.

"Exit this room," Rose said. "And head south. Travel in that southerly direction until you come across a large auditorium-sized room. I will attempt to assist you in any was possible on the way."

"Rose!" Meru called. Rose halted, and looked over her shoulder.

"Why?" Meru asked. "Why'd you help us?"

Rose hesitated. "You will find your answers in the near future. I have none." The apparition of Rose exited the room.

"So, now what?" Claira asked.

"We leave, I guess," Meru said.

"Come on," Deirdre said, heading towards the door.

"Hmm..." Claira said, thinking of the dangers that might lie ahead, she called out, "Wait you guys!"

"Hm?" Deirdre turned around.

"What?" Meru asked.

Claira pointed to the dead bodyguards. "Since you two are Winglies, put those uniforms on!"

Meru's face contorted. "No way!"

Deirdre grabbed Meru by the upper arm and dragged her over to the fallen Winglies. "What she says makes sense. Just put the uniform on! It'll only be temporary."

"Okay..." Meru said uncertainly. "Gross..."

-- -- --

  


"I'm going to need new shoes now," Erisi commented offhandedly as they entered Fletz. "It's unfortunate, really. I'm quite fond of this pair."

"Oh well," Matthias answered. He stopped and set her down. "Hold on." He turned to Dart. "You guys go on, we'll catch up."

Dart nodded and left.

Matthias turned to his blonde companion. "You sure do use a funny vocabulary when around others, Erisi."

"Oh come now, I wasn't trying to hide anything," Erisi said, removing her right shoe. "I was just merely commenting about my footwear." She poked her index finger through the obvious hole in the sole. "And it fits extremely tight in contrast to the other when you bandaged my foot."

Matthais sat down next to her. "We couldn't have it get infected, now could we?"

Erisi smiled at Matthias and carefully slid her shoe back on.

"So," Matthias said. "You want to keep it in the box?"

Erisi caught on immediately. "Of course. Even with the Dragoons here, it still won't be safe. What with the inclining Wingly numbers."

Matthias nodded. "That's what I thought." He stood. "What's got me worried is the-" he stopped, and stared at Erisi. She was smiling. "You're not lame anymore, are you?"

Erisi shook her head. "Nope. It healed."

The dark-haired Wingly grinned. "You're amazing."

"You say that all the time," the young blonde said, unwrapping the bandage on her foot. She slid her shoe back on and stood. She slipped her arm arm around his. "C'mon. We need to catch up with the others."

  


-- -- --

  


Claira peeked around a corner. She signaled to the other two that the way was clear by waving her hand.

Meru and Deirdre tiptoed over in their stolen uniforms.

"What next?" Deirdre whispered to Claira.

Claira shrugged. Meru was busy observing their surroundings.

"Look!" She whispered urgently. She was pointing up towards the ceiling.

Deirdre smiled. "Perfect. A ventilation shaft. Good thinking, Meru."

A moment passed, and Meru and Deirdre were up in the air, carefully removing the grate over the shaft.

"This is heavy," Meru said.

"Here, let's slide it up in the shaft," Deirdre said. Meru nodded, and the plan worked.

"I'll go get Claira," Meru said.

Deirdre had climbed into the shaft and grabbed hold of Claira's outstretched hand as Meru lifted her up and attempted to pull her in.

Meru gasped. "Someone's coming!"

"Crap..." Claira said, gribbing the edge of the opening with her free hand.

"Hurry!" Meru called.

Claira tore her hand from Deirdre's grasp and clutched the edge of the shaft. She pulled herself in. Meru came up a moment later. Together, they quietly pushed the grate back into place.

About a second later General Repard appeared from around the corner with his second-in-command, Captain Blian.

"If anyone ever finds out about this..." Blian said.

"It is not your concern to worry about others finding our mistakes," Repard said.

"Yes, General," Blian said obediently.

Repard hesitated, and glanced nervously around. "Ever get the feeling that you're being watched? It's annoying as hell." He turned back to Blian. "Find those three escapees. _Now_."

Blian saluted. "Yes, General. It shall be done."

Blian turned on his heel and marched off. Repard rubbed his forehead with a hand.

"I don't know if those three are worth the trouble they've given us."

  


-- -- --

  


"So..." King Zior said from his throne. "You're looking for passage to Mille Seseau. Why?"

Albert took the floor. He spread his hand apart. "Winglies have abducted three of our companions. You know for us, it would be natural for us to want to retrieve them. We have done so in the past. But... I know we must be tiring you; King and we must be wearing out our welcome. You don't have to assist us, we are only asking."

King Zior's face broke into a wide grin. "Do you honestly think I would turn you down, Albert? Come now, we're family. Both Emille and Lisa would berate me if I refused."

"So, you'll help us?" Albert asked, dropping his hands to his sides.

"Of course," King Zior answered. "It'll give the _Queen Fury_ a chance to stretch her legs."

Albert smiled. "Thank you."

Suddenly, shouts were heard from outside. The doors burst open, and Matthias trudged into the Chamber of the Sun. He carried Erisi over his shoulder and was followed closely by a giggling Princess Lisa.

"Matthias put me down!" Erisi demanded as Dart laughed. "And what do _you_ find so funny, Mr. Feld?"

Dart threw a bewildered look at Lavitz. "How'd she know it was me?" He whispered.

Lavtiz shrugged.

"Please put me down," Erisi repeated.

"Why?" Matthias asked. "You're about as light as a feather."

Erisi kicked her feet in frustration. "All the blood is rushing to my head."

"Matthias, just put her down," Lisa said, laughing.

The dark-haired Wingly shrugged. "Fine." He set her down gently. "There you go."

Erisi whacked Matthias playfully on the arm. "Why you big bul-" she cut off suddenly. She winced and grabbed the sides of her head with her hands. A bright piercing light resonated from the stone set in her tiara. Her legs gave way under the intense pain that flowed through her head, and she fell to her knees.

"Erisi!" Matthias exclaimed, squatting down beside her, his hands on her shoulders.

"What's wrong with her?" Lisa demanded.

Matthias didn't answer. He had a pretty good idea what happened.

A few moments passed and the pain receeded. Erisi opened her eyes timidly, squinting against the light and looked up. "Matthias..."

"Was it Crys?" Matthias whispered.

Erisi nodded gently. "I think so."

Matthias helped her up. "I don't think I ever remember that happening."

"It never has. Maybe it's an omen telling us to get our rears in gear," Erisi said.

"We do have a ride," Haschel remarked.

"There's a plus," Matthias remarked.

"It's late," Lisa said. "Do stay the night. It would be much easier to start out in the morning."

  


-- -- --

  


"Phew. That was close." Meru whispered as Repard stalked off beneath them.

"Yeah." Claira agreed. "What is that stench?"

Deirdre examined the walls and ceiling. "It's rust."

"Great," Meru said sarcastically.

"Come on," Claira said, crawling ahead. "Let's go."

The rusty ventilation shaft abruptly ended. Claira and Meru jointly lifted the heavy metal grate that was embedded in the ventral side of the shaft. Claira propped the grate up against the side of the boxy shaft while Meru jumped down to investigate.

"It's clear!" Meru called up in an urgent whisper. "No one's here."

Claira dropped down out the shaft, followed by Deirdre.

"Okay, now what?" Claira asked.

Meru glanced around as she spoke. "Well, this room looks like the one Rose was describing, doesn't it?"

"Basically," Deirdre said.

"That's because it is."

Meru shrieked loudly in surprise of the sudden voice.

A figure walked towards them. Like Rose, this one was an apparition. As the spirit moved towards them, it became apparent that the apparition was a man. He had long blonde hair and blue eyes. He wore red conforming armor that fit like coveralls. When he was about ten feet away, he stopped.

"I've been expecting you three," he said. "But I must ask you to refrain from shouting again, Miss Meru, lest you attract any Winglies."

"Hey, how do you know my-" Meru cut off as realization dawned on her. "Oh, wait! I know you! Well, sorta know you. You're Zieg Feld, right? Dart's dad?"

"The apparition smiled. "Yes, I am Zieg. Fancy meeting you here."

Meru giggled quietly. "I think I like you. You have a good sense of humor. Unlike Dart, really."

"Claira, is there something wrong?" Deirdre asked suddenly, directing Meru and Zieg's attention over to the forlorn-looking girl behind Deirdre.

Claira had her head slightly bowed, and she looked as if she were about to cry.

"M-My borther's name Zieg..." Claira said. "Named after our dad. He's Zieg Feld Jr."

Deirdre glanced over at Zieg. He had gone rigid, a look of surprise on his semi-transparent face.

"I've never met my dad, so I don't remember him," Claira said. "Momma...momma always told me that if I look at Zieg, I would see my dad, 'cause my brother's supposed to look so much like him."

Zieg raised his left hand. He held in it a small red glass-like ball. It suddenly began to resonate with a solid red light.

Meru's Blue Sea Dragoon Spirit reacted and resonated momentarily.

"Huh?" Meru said. "Wait. That's...that's gotta be..."

"That's the Red-Eyed Dragon Dragoon Spirit!" Claira exclaimed.

Meru and Deirdre whirled around to looked at the dark-haired teenager.

"It's my brother's! Momma said that it used to belong to our dad!" Claira said, her face just as shocked as her companions'.

"Which brother?" Zieg asked.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Claira asked. "Zieg is my only brother."

"No," Meru said. "I don't believe it." She stared at Zieg, then at Claira. "Dart's your son, Zieg. He had it last."

Zieg shook his head. "No. I have two sons...and a daughter I've never met." He held up the Dragoon Spirit. "My eldest son, who was named after me, got a hold of this Spirit not too long after the final battle with Melbu Frahma. It has been returned to me under unknown circumstances."

"Wow," Meru said, exchanging glances with Deirdre.

"You look like Zieg," Claira said after a moment.

Zieg's apparition smiled. "Like father, like son, I guess."

"D-Dad?" Claira said.

Zieg nodded.

Daddy!" Claira ran forward.

"Claira...!" Deirdre called out in warning. Zieg was an apparition, a ghost. There would be no way she could actually hang on him or anything. She'd fall right through him.

Claira ran up to the image of her father and went to hug him. Instead of falling through him, however, she collided with his torso and wrapped her arms around his middle. She buried her face into his shoulder and cried.

Zieg wrapped his arms around Claira's shoulders and smiled.

"Daddy...Daddy..." Claira sobbed, totally disregarding the fact that she could see right through him.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to watch you grow up," Zieg appologized. "For you, Zieg and Dart. If it weren't for Melbu Frahma, I would have been able to be a father to all three of you. And Dart...because of him...Dart grew up without parents...you two had something Dart never really had."

"He thinks his mom's dead," Meru piped up sadly. "I feel spoiled...at least I grew up with my parents."

Zieg shook his head. "No. Claire is alive."

"How?" Deirdre asked. "The Black Monster killed everyone in Neet, right?"

Again, Zieg shook his head. "Before I tried to awaken my Spirit, I saw Claira follow me in. I recognized The Black Monster was my once fiancée;, Rose, and I yelled at her to flee. Our eldest son, Zieg, followed her back in, so she grabbed him and took off running... I don't know how she is now."

"I kinda wish I hadn't run away now..." Claira said. "Momma..."

"Zieg," Rose reappeared through the gloom. "Zieg, hurry. It isn't safe here anymore."

Zieg pulled away from Claira. "Listen, my girl," (Claira sniffed loudly). Zieg wiped the tears from his daughter's eyes. "I want you to be strong, like you mother. You remind me a lot of her. Be strong. And give this to Dart." He handed her the Spirit. "You need to leave now."

Rose walked over to Deirdre. She handed Deirdre two small glass balls. "When the time comes, you will know who to give these to."

As Rose left, Deirdre inspected the items given to her. They were the same size, but one was a dark violet purple, and the other was an emerald green.

"How are we going to get out of here?" Meru asked.

Zieg turned and pointed upward. "Through that rift in the ceiling of this accursed place."

"I have a quick question," Claira said. "If you two are ghosts, why are you also solid?"

"During our lifetime," Rose explained, "we obtained so much Wingly magic that was unnatural for Humans, so now our spirits are semi-solid."

"That's weird," Claira said.

Meru wrapped her arms securely aroudn Claira's upper torso, so that her chin rested on top of Claira's head.

"Are you two ready?" Deirdre called from above.

"Ready when you are," Claira said to Meru. The young Wingly nodded, and a moment later, blue wings appeared at her back. Claira felt herself rising up into the air. She waved down to the image of her father.

Zieg waved back, and continued watching as the trio rose through the rift and out of sight.

  
  


To be continued...


	9. The Queen Fury

The Legend of Dragoon: The Divine Blessings

--Written by Naki

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter 9 : The Queen Fury 

  
  


"Didn't expect that to happen," Matthias remarked as Dart walked up to him.

"What?" Dart asked, leaning his back against the railing of the _Queen Fury_.

"Erisi got seasick," Matthias chuckled. "Don't blame her. She got it really bad a while back on her first voyage on the open seas. I'm more of a pirate then she'll ever be, 'cause I've been on a ship more times than I can count."

"This is only my third or fourth time," Dart admitted.

"You soon get used to it," Matthias said.

Silence prevailed between the two as Dart stared up at the off-white billowing sails.

"So," Matthias said, breaking the silence. "How'd you meet your wife?"

Dart seemed to be caught off guard by the question. "You mean Shana? We grew up together." He thought for a moment. "Do you have anyone special?" He grinned cheekily over at Matthias.

Matthias smirked. "All these years I've been alive, there's only been one person I have really, truly cared for." He paused, listening to the wind pass by the sails. "But...it doesn't matter now."

Dart put a hand on Matthias' shoulder. "It's okay. I can't say I understand how you feel, but I can say I have experienced loss of a loved one when I lost dad two years ago. He gave his life to give me a future...and that's a debt I'll only be able to repay by living my life to the fullest."

Matthias gave Dart a serious-toned grin. "Your father was a great man, Dart. I know you'll tire of hearing this, but... There's so much of him in you."

Just then, Erisi came staggering up. She held her stomach with a hand, and looked a bit green in the face.

"Hey babe," Matthias slung his arms about her shoulders and gave her a gentle hug. "Feeling better?"

"Don't call me that," Erisi muttered irately. "And don't squeeze me too hard. Unless, of course, you want me to get sick all over you."

Matthias slackened his hold on her, but kept his arms about her shoulders.

It suddenly hit Dart how short Erisi was. Standing there with Matthias, her eyebrows barely reached his chin.

"So," Dart said, crossing his arms in a playful manner. "Are you two a couple or what?"

Erisi scowled at Dart, but didn't answer. Her stomach lurched suddenly, and she gagged as she clamped a hand over her mouth.

Matthias slipped an arm wordlessly around her shoulders and led her to her cabin.

Lavitz passed the pair as he walked up to Dart. "There you are. What's wrong with Erisi?"

"She's seasick," Dart replied.

Lavitz nodded understandingly.

Sun Raye flew up and perched on Lavitz's shoulder. "Otohime-sama has a really bad case of motion sickness. She should be resting, but I can't seem to get her to stop running around."

"Otohime-sama?" Lavitz asked. "That means youngest princess. Where'd you pick that up?"

Sun Raye scratched behind her left ear with her left hind paw in a cat-like fashion. "I asked my mistress Erisi what she was called when she was little. She told me her family and closest friends called her 'Otohime' as a nickname. Since she is now my mistress, it is my duty to refer to her properly."

"Loyal little creature, aren't you?" Lavitz asked.

"Reminds me of you, Lavitz," Dart said.

"Loyalty is different for a Manoo and for a Human," Sun Raye said. "Where is Otohime-sama?"

"She began to feel sick again, so Matthias took her to her cabin," Dart answered.

"I should go to her then," Sun Raye said.

"Oh no you don't!" Lavitz grabbed Sun Raye off his shoulder, preventing her from leaving. "You're gonna give those two some privacy, they deserve it!"

Dart shot Lavitz a questioning glance. "What do you mean? Are you talking about Erisi and Matthias?"

"Of course," Lavitz answered. "Have you seen the way they act around each other?"

"Yeah, they act like close friends," Dart said, shrugging.

"No. They act like Deirdre and I did before I told her how I felt," Lavitz admitted, turning pink.

"Lavitz...Matthias is a Wingly," Dart started.

"And so is Deirdre!" Lavitz snapped in a manner that made Dart take a step back. "The fact that Deirdre is a Wingly doesn't make me love her any less. Perhaps it is the same with Erisi and Matthias."

  


-- -- --

  


Matthias sat on the edge of the bunk in Erisi's cabin. He called to Erisi, who was in the small wash closet that was connected to the cabin. "You all right in there?"

"Yeah." Erisi called back. "That stuff Kayla brought me works miracles. I don't feel sick anymore."

"That's good," Matthias replied.

Erisi emerged from the wash closet, looking exhausted. She flopped down on the bed on her back.

Matthias placed a hand on her stomach. "Tummy muscles sore?"

The blonde glared up at him. "What do you think? Of course I'm sore! I've been throwing up all day." She rolled onto her stomach; propped herself up with her hands and crawled up to the pillow where she collapsed on her side.

Matthias tossed the blanket over her. "There. You rest awhile."

  
  


To be continued...


	10. Gloriano

The Legend of Dragoon: The Divine Blessings

--Written by Naki

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Chapter 10 :Gloriano 

  
  


_"Where's our princess, Human?" A Wingly soldier demanded._

"Lost her, have you?" A young man dressed in red taunted with a smirk. "Old Melbu should've kept a leash on her."

A blonde fourteen-year-old girl peered out of a window of a nearby cottage.

"I can't believe he's doing that," she said, speaking to the dark-haired young woman who was braiding her hair. "Rose, he's going to get himself killed."

Rose ran her fingers through the blonde's knee-length hair, separating it into three sections. "Zieg has always been a very courageous man, Erisi. He'll take care of himself."

Erisi turned her head to gaze upon a dark-haired young man who was only a year older than her. "Matthias, go keep an eye out for him."

Matthias said nothing; he just slid out of the cottage.

"You will pay for your insolence, Human!" The Wingly raised his hand and slapped Zieg across the face. The young blonde didn't flinch.

Zieg's once humorous expression changed to angry one. He glared at his assailant.

The Wingly soldier shifted uncomfortably under Zieg's glare. "Uh, well, it seems that she isn't here. Let's go."

The soldiers took flight in unison and left.

"Zieg, you could've gotten killed!" Erisi reprimanded Zieg as she met him at the door.

Zieg nodded once at Rose as he entered. She bit her lip.

He turned to Erisi. "The Winglies...they're after you, Erisi."

"The young blonde brushed her bangs out of her face. "I figured that."

Zieg placed his hands on Erisi's shoulders and looked down at her seriously. "I don't want you wandering out alone, okay? Always stay with Matthias, Rose, or myself. You can depend on us."

Erisi nodded and gave Zieg a hug. She now had so many friends...so many people willing to protect her. Melbu Frahma only wanted her for her immense power, not for her as a person. That was just as well, because she hated Melbu Frahma.

Erisi affectionately wrapped her arms around Zieg's arm. I have a band feeling about this. Of course, that's natural during war, but I have a feeling that this war will take a turn for the worst...

  


-- -- --

  


Erisi awoke with a start. It was pitch black all around her.

_So, that's what they call a flashback..._ She thought. _That dream felt so real..._

Erisi got up, and stumbled through the dark, and found the door.

Out on the deck, Erisi heard many voice from the far end of the ship. Ignoring them, she went in the opposite direction and found herself at the front of the ship.

The area was dark and deserted. The stars and the bright red full moon were the only source of light.

Erisi leaned against the railing with her arms crossed at her chest.

"That dream..." Erisi said to herself as she stared down at the dark waters. "It...feels like yesterday..."

A song suddenly ran through her head.

Erisi smiled. "That song...Rose taught it to me. She learned it from her mother." The wind played around a bit with her hair. "Rose never really like to sing, even though she could sing really well. Zieg had me sing it to him...he loved that song. I don't know if it was the melody, or the lyrics." A cool breeze blew by again and the song popped unbidden back into her mind again. Almost without thinking, Erisi opened her mouth and sang to the stars. 

_Wishing on a dream that seems far off_

Hoping it will come today

Into the starlight night

Foolish dreamers turn their gaze

Waiting on a shooting star

But, what if that star is not to come?

Will their dreams fade to nothing?

When the horizon darkens most

We all need to believe there is hope

Is an angel watching closely over me?

Can there be a guiding light I've yet to see?

I know my heart should guide me, but

There's a hold within my soul

What will fill this emptiness inside of me?

Am I to be satisfied without knowing?

I wish, then, for a chance to see

Now all I need

Is my star to come?

Erisi was startled back into reality by the sound of clapping. She whirled around...it was Matthias.

"Nice song," he said. "It's been a while since I last heard it. You were thinkin' about Zieg, weren't ya?"

"Yes," Erisi said. "I had a dream. I miss him and Rose."

"Yeah, I kinda figured that. You would only sing that song for him," Matthias said with a grin. "You never took requests."

"Sorry..." Erisi said, turning back around.

"Hey, it's all right," Matthias siad, turning her around to face him. "People change over time. I used to be quiet. You remember, don't you? And I used to be very cocky. I never failed at stealing something I targeted. You cured me of my silence and of my cockiness. You showed me that you don't win every time. Erisi, I love you not for what you are, but for who you are. It's not a bad thing to remember your late friends that passed on, but don't dwell on them. Be content with who you have now, and live in the present, not the past."

"Otohime-sama!"

"Sun Raye..." Erisi said. "She must've found my cabin empty."

The Manoo flew up and landed on Erisi's shoulder. "Otohime-sama, you should be resting."

"Okay," Erisi said. "Goodnight Matthias."

The black-haired Wingly watched Erisi walked away. _Why msut she be like that?_

  


-- -- --

  


The morning on the _Queen Fury_ was brisk and chilly. Erisi yawned as she stepped out of her cabin into the bright sun.

"Good morning, Erisi!"

Erisi turned to acknowledge the voice as she pulled on a white knitted sweater. "Good morning, Kayla."

The two exchanged a few words.

"I must go," Kayla said after a few minutes. "Got lots of work to do."

"Okay," Erisi said as she turned towards the railing. Land ho! The port of Furni was approaching.

Heavy footsteps thundered their way towards her.

Erisi smiled; she recognized footsteps like that. "Hello, Kongol."

The heavy footsteps stopped. "How did you know it was Kongol?"

"Well, for one thing," Erisi turned around. "There's no way a Human or Wingly could make footsteps sound like that."

A rare small grin spread across Kongol's features. "Erisi has a point." He stared intently at her for a moment. "Kongol has a question."

"Yes?" She asked.

"How did Erisi know where Kongol's old home was?" Kongol asked.

"I've been there before...once upon a time," Erisi said. "But...that is a story best told another time."

"Kongol undertands," the Giganto said.

"Kongol, let me ask you something now," Erisi said.

"Yes?"

"Do you remember your family?"

"Kongol remembers big brother," Kongol answered. "Does Erisi remember her family?"

"Oh yes, vividly unfortunately. My father and I never really got along well when I became a teenager," she thought for a moment. "But still, not getting along with your father is much better than having your whole race slaughtered to near extinction by a band of thieves."

Kongol's face contracted. "Kongol didn't trust Humans much after that. Emperor Doel told Kongol that he wanted to make perfect world where all species get along. Kongol only trusted Doel. Then Dart spared Kongol's life after his defeat. Dart had much better outlook on value of life, he made a much better leader than Doel."

"That's true. He shows a lot of his father," Erisi said. "Zieg could practically band people together with a word."

The ship bumbed slightly into the dock of Furni.

"Welcome to Mille Seseau," Erisi remarked.

  


-- -- --

  


As the small band of Dragoons exited the ship, Erisi had swapped her knitted sweater for a navy blue cloak that fastened at the throat and had a hood.

Kayla sported the sweater that Erisi had given her as she waved goodbye to them.

"Really Erisi, is that cloak necessary?" Matthias asked.

"It can get cold in Mille Seseau," Erisi said. "Just wait and see."

As she said that, a sudden cold burst of wind blasted the small group.

Matthias cursed. "You weren't lyin' Erisi!"

The temperature rose slightly as they entered the Evergreen Forest.

"This is better," Matthias commented. "With the trees blocking the wind..."

"Matthias..." Erisi said. "Knock it off."

Dart took a few steps forward, glancing around.

"Do you remember the way to Deningrad?" Albert asked.

Dart scratched the back of his head. "Yeah."

  


-- -- --

  


"Where are we?" Claira's voice echoed around the ruins.

Deirdre shivered. "I don't know. We're somewhere between the Death City Mayfil and Mille Seseau."

Meru looked around. "We're in between Mille Seseau and the Death Frontier."

Claira turned to her friend. "Meru, do you know where we are?"

Meru nodded. "We stopped by here on our way to Ulara, a Wingly village near here. Rose told us about it." She motioned out with her hand. "These are the ruins of the ancient St. Imperial Gloriano."

"Oh," Deirdre said. "I've only seen pictures of what it's supposed to look like."

"What's the St. Imperial Gloriano?" Claira asked.

"It was the Human Empire led by Emperor Diaz." Claira gave a blank look to Deirdre's sparse explanation. "Emperor Diaz ruled the Dragon Knights, or the Dragoons during the Dragon Campaign."

Claira nodded. "Like Meru."

"Yes, the Blue Sea Dragoon did exist during that time," Meru said.

Claira shivered suddenly. "It's so cold and eerie here."

"We can't stay here long," Meru said. "With a climate like this, there's nothing here to really sustain life."

Deirdre crossed her arms. "Well, if we can rest here just for tonight, we can cross over the border to Mille Seseau. We're not too far from Snowdrift Abbey."

"Is that the Abbey you talk about?" Meru asked.

Deirdre nodded. "If we can make it there... It's winter in Endiness. Mille Seseau's weather is going to be horrible."

Claira huddled next to Deirdre for warmth as Meru flew off, searching for anything that would burn.

"What's that?" Deirdre asked.

"What, this?" Claira asked, holding up an object she had been inspecting.

"Yes."

"I really don't know. Momma gave it to me for good luck when I was little. She said that her dad gave it to her when she was little."

"Oh. It kinda looks like these things Meru's friend Rose gave me."

"Yeah, but this one doesn't glow or anything. It's just a dull glass marble."

Meru returned shortly and they soon had a blazing fire, compliments of Deirdre.

That night, the trio huddled around the fire as they slept.

  
  


*The song that Erisi sings is the _Boat Song_ from Lunar: SSSC. © Working Designs

  
  
  


To be continued...


	11. Deningrad

The Legend of Dragoon: The Divine Blessings

--Written by Naki

  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Chapter 11 : Deningrad

  
  


"So this is what Deningrad looks like," Lavitz commented.

"Yeah, but I see the Crystal Palace isn't fully restored back to its original state," Dart said.

"What happened to it?" Lavitz asked.

"I think you mean, 'What happened to Deningrad?'" Haschel said. "The Divine Dragon got a hold of it and vented its anger."

Lavitz made a face. "Ouch."

"Hey!" Dart said.

"What?" Albert asked. "What is it?"

"It's Wink!" Dart answered. He walked over to the blonde young woman.

"Who's Wink?" Lavitz asked.

"She's the Third Sacred Sister of Mille Seseau," Albert answered.

Dart came back with two young women trailing him.

"Lavitz," Dart said, motioning to each of them. "This is Wink, the Third Sacred Sister, and this is Setie, the Fourth Sacred Sister of Mille Seseau."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," Lavitz said.

"Sister Miranda received your letter, King Albert, and left for Serdio. She's back, but hasn't been really social," Wink said.

"Why?" Albert asked. "Is there something wrong?"

Setie shrugged. "We don't think so. Come, let's go see her."

  


-- -- --

  


"The rebuilding of the Crystal Palace looks extraordinary," Albert said.

"Yes it is," Wink smiled. "But progress is going very slowly."

They ascended the steps up into Queen Theresa's throne room.

Queen Theresa sat on her throne, with the First Sacred Sister Miranda sitting on the steps beneath her.

Wink and Setie bowed. "Good day, Queen Theresa."

"Good day, my Sacred Sisters," Queen Theresa smiled. "You brought guests?"

"They're here for Sister Miranda," Setie said.

Before anyone could react, a dark-haired young woman stood and staggered over. She was blind. "Good day, Dart and friends. I hope you all are feeling well?"

Setie went to her side.

Dart nodded. "We're fine to an extent, Sister Luanna."

Luanna's sightless eyes roved over the group. She shuddered. "One of you is highly disturbing."

"Matthias...!" A voice said accusingly not a second after Luanna's comment.

"Sorry!" Matthias responded.

Laughter rang out. Lavitz turned around. "Nice one, Erisi."

Erisi had a smug smile on her face.

Miranda walked over. Seeing Dart and the others, she smiled. "What are you guys here for?"

They were interrupted by a loud gasp from Luanna.

"Sister Luanna, are you all right?" Setie asked.

A grin spread across Luanna's face. "Sister Miranda, you...you _smiled_."

More laughter.

Lavitz whispered a question to Albert, and the king of Serdio pulled his knight to the side to explain it to him.

"We're here for help," Dart answered Miranda's inquiry. "Winglies kidnapped three of our own. Meru, Claira, and Deirdre."

"Deirdre?" Miranda asked.

Dart jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Lavitz's girlfriend."

"What have made Winglies so aggressive?" Miranda asked aloud.

"Good question," Albert said. "We were wondering the same thing when Bale was attacked."

"Bale was attacked?" Queen Theresa repeated.

Albert nodded. "Yes."

"They even tried to assasinate King Albert," Lavitz added.

"It seems that they were unsuccessful," Luanna pipped up.

Miranda walked back over to where she had been sitting on the throne steps. She hefted a large, old book up and carried it back to Dart and Albert. She leafed through the pages, and finally stopped.

"Here," she said, showing the book to Dart. "I found this in the Deningrad National Library. Does that picture look familiar?"

Dart studied the rough drawing. "Yeah, it does ring a bell. It looks like that monster that nearly took Albert out in Tiberoa."

Albert scowled at Dart's remark. "Remember, there were two of them." He took the book from Miranda. "Hmm...let me see." His index finger traced the words in the book. "Oh. Here we go. It is called a Landstrider."

"Landstrider?" Dart repeated. "Never heard of it."

"Of course. This book says they are extinct," Albert read.

"That book looks like it's about as old as Serdio," Lavitz commented. "But, if these creatures were extinct back then, how can they be here now?"

Miranda took the book back. "I was wondering that myself. You see, sometime during last summer, this creature attacked Luanna, Setie, and me. And when two of them attacked your group, it got me thinking."

"Seriously," Dart said, crossing his arms. "What if these Landstriders are connected somehow to the Winglies?"

"Maybe," Miranda said.

"Well, after the war we went through two years ago," Hachel piped up. "I'm willing to say _anything_ can be connected to the Winglies."

"Haschel has a point," Albert said. "By now, I'm not sure if anything will truly surprise me."

"I don't remember the Landstriders being particularly vicious," Matthias added. "At least, not the little ones."

Dart, Albert, and Lavitz turned to look at Matthias.

"What?" Matthias asked.

"Of course you'd know about these," Lavitz said.

"Don't be harsh on him," Haschel said.

"Do you remember them?" Matthias asked Erisi.

Erisi looked up at him with a confused look. She shook her head slowly. "What do you mean? I've never seen such a thing before."

Realization struck Matthias like a ton of bricks. He was obviously embarrassed. "Uh...sorry..."

"I'm going to take a walk," Erisi said. "It's been a while since I've been in Deningrad."

  


-- -- --

  


Erisi sat alone on a bench near to the entrance foyer of the Crystal Palace.

_It hasn't changed much._ Erisi thought. _Not much at all. It still has that comfortable emerald glow._

Erisi leveled her head so she could see straight ahead.

"You are troubled?"

Erisi snapped her head around to face the speaker.

"I am bothering you?"

It was Sister Luanna.

Erisi shook her head, knowing that Luanna couldn't see it. "No, of course not."

"May I join you?" Luanna asked.

"Sure."

Luanna staggered over, and reached out with her hands until she felt the bench. Sitting down, she turned her sightless eyes to Erisi.

"Something is troubling you." It was a statement more than a question. "I can sense what is in people's hearts since I can't see."

"That explains it."

"Do you wish to talk about anything?" Luanna inquired.

"No."

Luanna didn't fail to recognize the surge of protectiveness surrounding Erisi after her answer. She decided to back away. "I am treading on glass shards. I will veer away from this subject."

"Thank you."

"Sister Luanna!"

"You're being hailed," Erisi said.

Luanna stood, facing Erisi. "Just one thing."

"Yes?"

"The Dark One longs for the Light. Think about it. Just know that being divine doesn't make One perfect."

Setie came over and led Luanna away.

_Why'd she say that...?_ Erisi thought. _What did that mean anyway?_

  


-- -- --

  


Miranda joined the group a day later.

"Where to now?" Matthias asked.

"Let's go to Snowdrift Abbey," Erisi said suddenly.

"Where?" Albert asked.

"It's the Abbey here in Mille Seseau. It nearly sits on the border of Mille Seseau and the Death Frontier." Erisi answered. "I think it's the one Deirdre is from."

"Yeah, it is," Lavitz said. "It's where I met her."

"I've been there too," Erisi said. "A while back. They have so much stuff from Dragon myth and prophecy that'll make your head spin."

Before anything else could happen, however, an explosion rang in the distance.

"What the-" Dart said.

"Look!" Lavitz called, pointing upwards.

Haschel clenched his hands into fists. "Winglies, yet again."

  


-- -- --

  


The tide had turned. It was almost obvious that the Winglies were much stronger. Or, at least took safety in numbers.

Two male Winglies had jumped Haschel and they had nearly beaten him unconscious. Dart, who was bleeding profusely from a cut on his temple and from a split in the corner of his mouth, was beginning to tire, but he kept hacking away at the opponents. He kept close to Lavitz, and the duo gave the Winglies a constant flow of pain. Matthias, being the loner he normally was, fought savagely by himself. He took the most number of Winglies down, and had the most effective attack. Being a lancer, Matthias would jump straight up, and plummet downwards and slam right into the ground, impaling one or more enemies. Miranda, who's specialty weapon was used for far-range fighting, quickly unstrung her bow, and used it as a rather flimsy stave, while she also used her arrows as daggers.

The battle seriously took a turn for the worse when Albert encountered a rather skilled Wingly who fought with a staff. The Wingly constantly hammered at Albert, who could only hold his spear up in defense. Suddenly, the wooden handle of Albert's weapon cracked and split in two. The Wingly grinned an evil grin...and brought his staff around to point at Albert. His staff was more of a crude javelin; one end blunt, but the other end was sharpened to a point roughly, so that it looked like its maker used a rock to sharpen it.

Realizing what this could mean, Albert dropped the broken blunt half of his spear and flipped the blade section around so that he held it blade down in his right hand. Charging each other, Albert wounded his opponent first by burying the blade of his ruined spear into the upper back of his enemy. However, Albert, wincing through excruciating pain, staggered backwards away from his adversary. The Wingly still kept the evil grin upon his face; even through the pain he received from the spearhead in his shoulder. He gripped ths handle of his javelin, which had impaled Albert. The Wingly sniggered, put his foot up against Albert, and kicked the king off his javelin. Albert hit the ground motionlessly, his life trickling from him as his blood stained the snow and cobblestones beneath him red.

Matthias gasped suddenly after knocking away an opponent. His face paled as he felt the life ebbing away from an ally. Knocking down another Wingly, Matthias whirled around, to see...

"ALBERT!!!"

Everyone froze in the Deningrad morning sunlight. Everything became so silent, that its eeriness matched the morbid feeling of Matthias.

"God...no...King...Albert..." Lavitz said, taking sporadic steps towards the fallen king.

The Wingly who had slain Albert grunted as he pulled the spearhead from his shoulder, and then sniggered once more. "Fool. Should've never fought against a Wingly."

"King Albert was no fool!" Lavitz snarled, advancing upon the Wingly.

The Wingly brought his javelin up. "You want to die like your pathetic king did?"

"Worthless threats won't affect me," Lavitz said, his voice was so dangerously calm that it frightened every being present. Miranda squatted down, and helped Haschel up into a sitting position.

Lavitz brandished his spear. "I was the one who taught King Albert to use a lance. Now, I challenge you."

"Fine. You may waste your life haphazardly for all I care," the Wingly said.

Lavitz charged him. The Wingly swiped at Lavitz with his javelin, but Lavitz dodged and slammed his fist into the Wingly's face. Lavitz waited for his adversary to rise, but waiting no longer. Out of fury more than design, Lavitz attacked the Wingly with a swift, six-hit combo.

"GUST OF WIND DANCE!!"

The Wingly failed to rise after the mericless onslaught of Lavitz's rage. Lavitz stood there motionless, not looking at the defeated Wingly, but at his fallen king. Lavitz, breathing heavily, fell to his knees and dropped his spear at his side.

"It's all my fault...I couldn't protect you, King Albert."

  


* * *

  


To be continued...


	12. Life, Death, and Beyond

The Legend of Dragoon: The Divine Blessings

--Written by Naki

  
  
  
  


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Chapter 12 : Life, Death, and Beyond

  
  


_What a...pleasant sensation... I feel as if I am floating..._

He felt his feet touch the ground, however, but didn't hear the normal click of footwear upon it.

"Welcome."

He turned around to face the speaker. She stepped from behind a pillar.

"You're a new face here."

He turned around again to face a man with dark hair.

"Kantas, that's obvious," the first woman said.

"What be his name?"

A Giganto stepped out from the mists.

"That...is for him to tell."

Three others walked up. Two men and a woman.

The first woman who spoke introduced herself. "I am Nadia."

The man with dark hair spoke next. "I'm Kantas."

"Belsap," the Giganto said.

A figure walked up. "We are related. I am your ancestor. That is why we bear uncanny resemblances." He offered his hand to the newcomer. "My name is Martin."

The newcomer looked up to the duo that still stood in the shadows.

"We're missing one, Zieg," Nadia said.

"She'll show herself," the shadowed woman said.

The newcomer recognized the voice of the woman. "Rose."

The duo stepped out into the dim light. "Yes. Been a long time."

"Do something for me," Zieg said to the newcomer.

"Huh?" The newcomer said.

"It is not your time yet," Rose said. "The princess will see to it that you return safely."

Zieg continued. "If you see him, tell my son that I'm very proud of him, and that I miss him greatly."

The newcomer looked from Rose to Zieg quizzically, and then, the sights around him started to fade.

"As I said," Rose said. "It is not your time. Return to your friends and family! It is your future...we have given it to you once before...don't waste it on foolish actions."

Before everything was enveloped in white, Zieg's voice rang through his head once more. "Please...if you see him, tell my son that I'm very proud, and that I love him..."

  


-- -- --

  


"I don't get it," Lavitz whispered to Dart. "How can Erisi bring King Albert back?"

"Don't ask questions," Dart whispered back.

Erisi stood next to Albert, who lay motionless on a bed in Deningrad's inn. Her hands, spread apart, hovered over Albert's body. Her eyes were shut, and her concentration showed on her face.

Matthias stood next to her. He'd seen her do this once before. And that was a while back.

Erisi took a deep breath, and something astonishing happened. A soft white light poured from her fingertips on to Albert.

Dart gasped, and nudged Lavitz. He pointed to Erisi.

Twin wings of light protruded from her back.

"She's a Wingly?" Lavitz mouthed to Dart.

Dart shrugged, his eyes telling that he didn't know.

After a few moments, Erisi gave up.

"That should've done it," Erisi "If not, then I'll try again. I'm not gonna let Albert die like that."

As if on cue, Albert's eyelids flickered. With a slight groand, he opened his eyes.

"Albert!" Erisi said, smiling.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," Matthias smirked.

Lavitz rushed over to Albert and helped him into a sitting position.

"Are you feeling well, Albert?" Miranda asked.

"Yes, how are you?" Haschel asked.

"I'm fine." Albert glanced down at his bare abdomen. There was an irregularly shaped vertical scar next to his naval. He placed a hand on his back and felt a similar scar adjacent to his backbone.

"You'll have those scars forever, Albert," Matthias said. "You 'bout wore Erisi out."

"He _did_ wear me out," Erisi corrected, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

Dart smiled. "You had us worried, Albert."

Lavitz nodded in agreement. "I won't let anything else happen to you, King Albert. I swear it!"

Albert grinned. "Thank you, Lavitz. But, just don't refrain me from fighting alongside you."

"I'd never dream of it," Lavitz said. "Besides, you were my star pupil."

"I was your _only_ pupil," Albert said. Chuckles ripped through the room. "Let's get some rest."

Dart laughed. "Of course _you'd_ feel tired, Albert."

Albert waved him off.

"He's right. I'm sure most of us are exhausted after that battle. Come on," Miranda said, heading for the stairs.

"Okay," Lavitz said, following her. As the others headed upstairs, Albert caught Dart's arm as he turned to leave.

"Dart, I have something important to tell you," Albert said.

"What?" Dart asked.

Albert grinned. "Your father told me to tell you that he's very proud of you, and that he loves and misses you greatly."

  


* * *

  


To be continued...


	13. Snowdrift Abbey

The Legend of Dragoon: The Divine Blessings

--Written by Naki

  
  
  
  


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Chapter 13 : Snowdrift Abbey

  
  


"Wow, is that the abbey?" Haschel asked.

"Yep," Erisi said. "Sure is."

"Are they gonna let us in?" Dart asked.

"They should. An abbey such as this one goes out of its way to help travelers," Erisi answered.

As they reached the huge ebony gates, Lavitz knocked smartly on them.

Dart ran his hand on the wall. "This rock is rough. It feels like sandpaper."

"Of course," Erisi said. "It's sandstone."

Kongol analyzed the white rock. "Kongol thought sandstone red."

"Not this kind," Erisi said. "The founders of this abbey dug up sandstone from the Death Frontier. That's why the sandstone is white."

"Hence the name Snowdrift Abbey," Dart said as Lavitz rapped on the door a second time.

"That and all the snow they get," Erisi added, motioning with her hand towards the ground.

Haschel stared up at the large building on the opposite side of the wall. "It looks like a huge snow fort."

"It does," Miranda agreed.

"Nah," Dart said, shaking his head as he crossed his arms over his chest. He gazed up at the abbey with a scrutinizing look upon his face. "... More like...an enormous square igloo..."

Erisi laughed. "A square igloo? Dart, you are _truly_ your father's son."

"Only Zieg thought up things like that," Matthias said.

"No one's answering," Lavitz said after knocking a third time.

"Wait a sec," Erisi said. Her wings appeared on her back, and she flew up to the wall top.

"Ahoy down there!" She called, cupping her hands around her mouth. She sat down on the parapet.

A young male Wingly flew up from the grounds. His hand glowed as a red ball appeared. "Are you friend or foe?"

Erisi stared at the young man curiously for a moment, then smiled. "You've grown up, Kurintsu."

The magic ball vanished from the young man's hand. "E-Erisi?"

Erisi nodded.

Kurintsu looked down towards the grounds. "Get the Abbot! Erisi is back!" He turned back around and hugged Erisi. "I've missed you so much."

Erisi nodded to the gate. "I'm traveling with friends. Please, let them in."

Kurintsu nodded, and the duo flew down to the gate.

A slightly heavyset elderly Human man stepped out into the snowy grounds.

"What is going on, Abbot Albus?"

"A Sister has returned to us, Deirdre." Abbot Albus answered.

"One of the Divine Sisters?" Deirdre asked. "Who?"

Abbot Albus turned around. "The one you look so much like: Sister Erisi."

The gate creaked open, and the others trudged through the arched gateway.

Kurintsu stood next to Erisi. "Lavitz!" He ran forward and shook hands with the knight.

"How've you been, Kurintsu? All the girls climbin' all over you yet?" Lavitz asked.

Kurintsu blushed as he shook his head, smiling. "Not yet."

"Kurintsu, this is Dart," Lavitz said, introducing the two.

Erisi walked up to Abbot Albus, who exited the main building alone. She pulled up the skirt of her dress slightly with her hands and curtsied.

The Abbot bowed.

Seeing the confused look on Dart's face, Kurintsu leaned close to explain. "Erisi is one of the Divine Sisters of this abbey. However, the Abbot looks upon her as his own daughter."

"How many Divine Sisters are there?" Dart asked.

"There's only been two," Kurintsu replied. "Erisi is one, and the other left the abbey _long_ before I was born. Her name was Sister Charle, I've been told."

"My daughter Erisi," Abbot Albus said. "I'm so glad you've finally returned."

"Father Albus, I regret that I cannot stay long," Erisi said. She motioned behind her. "I'm traveling with the legendary Dragoons. We must stop this Wingly army."

Abbot Albus nodded.

Running footsteps crunching in the snow came nearer.

"Lavitz!!"

Lavitz turned around. "Huh?"

A blonde woman ran right up to him, and before Lavitz could see her face, she threw her arms around his neck.

Lavitz pulled away from the girl to look at her face.

"Deirdre..." he said after a moment, and hugged her again.

Neither of them spoke for a moment.

"You're warm," Deirdre said suddenly.

"Deirdre, if you're here," Dart said.

"Heeeeeey!" Meru dashed up.

Claira ran up and hugged Dart. This action shocked him.

She let go and smiled up at him.

"Claira, I think you just freaked Dart out," Deirdre said, cuddling close to Lavitz for warmth.

"She did," Dart said. "What's with the affection all of a sudden?"

"Claira, don't you have something for Dart?" Meru asked.

"Oh yeah," Claira shoved a hand into her pocket and pulled out a red ball.

"How did you three escape?" Albert asked.

"We didn't do it all by ourselves," Claira said, turning to Albert.

"Yeah, Rose helped us by killing our guards!" Meru said as the group headed inside the main abbey building.

"Rose?" Haschel asked.

"Yeah," Claira said. "Rose and my dad helped us."

"Your dad?" Lavitz asked.

"Dart knows him," Claira said, turning to Dart. "Here. He wanted me to give this to you." She handed him the red ball.

"This is..." Dart said, gazing at the ball sitting on his palm.

"It's the Spirit of the Red-Eyed Dragoon," Claira said. "It was returned to my father at Mayfil for unknown reasons."

"Returned?" Dart repeated. He looked quizzically at Claira.

Claira took a deep breath and turned towards Dart. "I know I'm mostly hid underneath a shadow, 'cause I've never revealed who I really am, or where I'm from, my background, or anything, not even to Meru." She paused, taking another deep breath. "My name is Claira Feld." She said with finality. There, she'd at least gotten through her name. Now, the rest of it. "I was born twenty years ago, just months after the destruction of Neet, in the city of Deningrad. I'm the daughter of Zieg and Claire Feld."

There was a moment of silence as Claira allowed the news to sink into Dart.

"You're my brother, Dart," Claira said. "I didn't even know it until I saw our dad in Mayfil. He explained everything I had questions about, and he even helped us escape from that wretched death city."

There was another moment of silence and Dart walked over and hugged Claira.

"Wow...I have a sister...I really do..." Dart said.

"Hey Dart," Lavitz called.

"What?" Dart asked, releasing his hold on Claira.

"Just think about it. All those years you treated Shana like the baby sister you never had, and now to find out that you've actually had one all along," Lavitz said.

Dart smirked. "Ironic, isn't it?"

The rest of the day and night were passed by storytelling in a large, upstairs dorm room in the main abbey building.

Deirdre sat on the edge of a bed with Lavitz sitting behind her, brushing her hair out.

Meanwhile, Meru paced furiously between the bed Deirdre and Lavitz were on and the bed Dart and Claira sat on. One could almost see the smoke coming from Meru's ears as her rose pink-colored eyes turned a dangerous shade of red.

"How dare they! Go and kill our king, why don't ya!" She fumed. "I don't care that we were able to bring him back, you're still gonna pay! Winglies like you shame our kind!"

Dart chuckled and threw his right arm about Claira's shoulders affectionately.

"And furthermore," Meru continued, nearly burning a rut in the wood flooring with her angered steps. "Why didn't Erisi just tell us that she's a Wingly?" She turned to Matthias, who was sitting alone across the room. "And what about you? You seem quite friendly with her."

Matthias remained silent.

"Meru, everyone has something they choose to hide," Deirdre said. "And me being a Wingly was my dark secret."

"Or maybe," a voice said. "No one ever asked."

Meru whirled around to see Erisi enter the room quietly, followed by Albert.

"I have spoken to Father Albus," Erisi said, in a strange, princess-like manner. "He has granted us stay at his abbey for the night. He has also conferred to provide us with provisions for our journey. He sends his wishes."

  


-- -- --

  


Erisi ascended a set of stone steps in the middle of the night. The long corridor glowed orange from torches placed in brackets on both walls in regular intervals.

She soon reached a pair of heavy wooden doors and found them slightly ajar. She eased the door open and leaned inside.

A lone figure sat at a long wooden table, hunched over. A candle was lit in a candleholder sitting near him.

Even in the dim light, there was only one person that came to mind.

"Albert," Erisi called in a low voice. She waited a moment and there was no answer. "Albert." She said louder.

When there wasn't an answer from him a second time, Erisi entered the room, and walked over to him.

She found him asleep, laying his head on his arms.

Erisi smiled down at his prone form, and pulled the open book gently out from under his arms.

Closing it, Erisi checked the faded cover of the ancient book.

_"The Legends and Myths of the Dragon Campaign." Read it before._ Erisi thought. "Huh. I could practically write my own book on this and landslide them all."

She placed the book back onto its place on the shelf.

Erisi looked back at the sleeping Albert. _If it were safe, I would tell them everything they wish to know..._

She walked back over to the table and gathered all the other books that Albert collected and stacked them on the table top rather than returning them to the shelves.

  


-- -- --

  


Albert awoke to the presence of a hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes, blinked several times and looked up over his shoulder.

"Erisi?"

She smiled down at him. "You fell asleep."

"Did I?" Albert asked, turning around and rubbing his eyes.

Erisi pulled out an adjacent chair and sat down next to him. _Albert does look remarkably like him..._ She rested her chin on the heel of her hand. _Small wonder why I like Albert so much._ She smirked. _Albert, you have his looks and his interests._ The smirk faded from her face. _He was always there to comfort me when Matthias left. And then he left me at the abbey to lead his own life. I never saw him again._ Erisi glanced over at Albert, who was opening another book. _He looked a lot like you, Albert. However, he had short hair that looked kinda like Lavitz's._ She watched Albert get up and search the shelves for more books. _And, like you Albert, he had a serious upbringing. He worried about everyone and cared nothing for himself. Like you, he made a young but incredibly strong leader of a nation. The same nation, to be exact._

"Albert," Erisi said suddenly.

The King of Serdio turned around. "Yes?"

"It is late," she said, rising. "Let's go to bed."

  


-- -- --

  


Erisi remained quiet as the pair walked through the corridors to their room upstairs.

Albert observed her blank expression. "Is everything all right?"

Erisi remained silent.

Albert suddenly grabbed her arm and stopped her. "You've never been quiet like this. Tell me, what is wrong?"

Erisi froze as an unpleasant feeling washed over her. _It's happening... It's happening again...that feeling..._ Her knees became weak and she slid down to the floor. She hugged her arms to her chest. _No...it can't be...not again..._

Albert crouched down beside her. "Erisi...!" He put his hands on her bare shoulders and looked intently at her face. There was no denying the petrified expression, something was wrong. "Erisi...what's wrong?"

His voice sounded so distant and faraway to Erisi.

Erisi squeezed her blue eyes shut. _Albert...feeling your life force die away like that back in Deningrad put me through so much grief... It was like feeling all my friends die all over again. No...it happened because of me. One of those Winglies knows...there's on who knows about my past..._ She barely heard Albert's voice in the background, but she chose to ignore it. _I can't go with them...but, my destiny... What do I know about my destiny? They are starting the campaign all over again... The Winglies want control back... But, I cannot fight against them anymore. I must not cause my friends any more pain and anguish!_

Erisi jumped to her feet and ran down the corriodor, ignoring Albert's calls, which now echoed eerily in the deserted hall.

_I'm so sorry, Albert..._

  


-- -- --

  


Albert crept back into the bedroom. It was dark, so he felt his way over to his designated bed. He collapsed tiredly onto the bed on his back, and closed his eyes. A moment passed, then Albert felt four small paws descend upon his chest.

_What the?_ Albert thought, opening his eyes. He found himself staring into a pair of glowing cat-like eyes.

"Albert-sama!"

"Sun Raye?" Albert said without thinking. "What is wrong?"

"I'm worried about Otohime-sama," Sun Raye said.

"Who?" Albert asked.

"My mistress Erisi," Sun Raye answered.

"Me too," Albert admitted. "She was acting out of character earlier." He yawned. "Let's sleep one it and look for her in the morning."

  


-- -- --

  


Albert awoke the next morning with Sun Raye asleep on his chest. He sat up, taking the drowsy Manoo in his hands.

"Good morning," Deirdre said, poking her head into the room.

"Good morning to you too, Deirdre," Albert responded as Sun Raye leapt from his hands onto his shoulder. Deirdre closed the door quietly behind her.

"Everyone's downstairs having breakfast," she said. "Dart sent me up here to wake you up."

"Funny," Albert said, stretching. "I'm usually the first one up."

"Albert," Deirdre said, her voice lowering in volume. "Erisi's not going with us."

"What?" Albert suddenly went serious. He yanked the string that held his hair up in the ponytail out. "Why?"

Deirdre shrugged. "I don't know. Abbot Albus came down earlier and told us that Erisi went to him early this morning and told him she was going to stay here instead of go with us."

"Hmm..." Albert ran his fingers through his long light brown hair. "I wonder if that has anything to do with what occurred last night."

"What do you mean?" Deirdre asked.

"Both Erisi and I were coming back here from the library last night, when she suddenly stopped, looked frightened, and ran off down the corridor."

Deirdre bit her lip in hesitance. "Father Abbot asked me not to go either."

"Why?" Albert asked.

"He said I look incredibly like the Divine Daughter," Deirdre answered. "How he knows that just puzzles me."

"Do you want to stay?"

"No. I want to go, to be with Lavitz, but...I know I'll be far too much of a burden." 


	14. Past and Present

The Legend of Dragoon: The Divine Blessings

--Written by Naki

  
  
  
  


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Chapter 14 : Past and Present

  
  


_"Summer here is so pretty," a young Wingly girl walked through flowering fields. "It gets too cold around the Crystal Palace for flora such as this."_

She sat down on a large rock to rest. Reaching out into the tall prairie grass she plucked out a long foxtail.

She giggled as she tickled her face with it.

Hearing voices, the girl ducked behind the rock and the grass lest she be seen.

Two figures walked into view. They were Human males; one with long blonde hair and the other had short dark hair.

The girl watched them by peering over the edge of the rock. She brushed her silvery bangs out of her face.

"What are you doing?"

She gasped out loud and whirled around to face a young man. He had short messy platinum hair and brown eyes.

He offered a hand. "Sorry to frighten you, miss. May I help you up?"

She was taken back by the way his personality totally contradicted his looks. She took his hand, and he pulled her up gently with ease.

"You're a Wingly," she said. "What are you doing around here in the Human's Empire? A war is going on!"

"I should be asking you that," he said, grinning. "I grew up here. The Humans trust me."

She smiled. "What's your name?"

"It's Matthias."

"I'm Erisi."

Matthias looked up as two figures approached.

"New friend, Matthias?" The blonde man asked.

"It's a Wingly!" The dark-haired man exclaimed, looking extremely angry. "What the hell is she doing here on Human land? This is our land Wingly!"

Erisi toook a step back and looked up at Matthias with a look of apprehension on her face.

"Easy, Kantas," the blonde man said, putting a hand on Kantas' shoulder.

"Humans tend to have a strong hatred of Winglies," Matthias told Erisi.

"I can see," Erisi said.

Matthias pointed to the blonde man. "That's Zieg." He pointed next to the dark-haired man. "And that's Kantas. Be careful around him, he has one heck of a short fuse."

"You say that like it's a bad thing, Matthias," Kantas grinned rather nastily.

Erisi looked up at Matthias. "Thanks for the warning."

Zieg approached Erisi. "What's your name?" He offered his hand to her.

Erisi hesitated a moment, but took his hand in her own and shook it as she smiled at him. "Erisi."

"Zieg! Why the hell are you interacting with her?!" Kantas exclaimed.

Zieg turned to face his friend. "Kantas, the way I see it, any Wingly who willingly makes contact with, you know, daring to 'touch' us is our ally."

"Exactly," Erisi said. "Just like Charle Frahma."

"You know Charle Frahma?" Zieg asked.

"She's like a mom to me," Erisi said. She glanced up. "Uh-oh. Look."

"Great, not again," Matthias said, watching as five Wingly soldiers descended upon the nearby village. "They're at it again."

"Why?" Erisi asked.

"For fun," Zieg explained as they hurried towards the village. "Even here in the Human's Imperial Gloriano, villages like these that lie near the border are almost open game to off-duty Wingly soldiers." He paused. "And that's Rose's home village, too."

"Rose?" Erisi asked.

"My fiancée;," Zieg answered. "And I think she's there now, visiting her mom and sister."

They reached the village and hid behind a building.

"Great, they're instigatng again," Kantas said.

"Do they intentionally pick fights like this?" Erisi asked.

Zieg nodded. "Of course."

"Hey, it's Rose!" Matthias said.

"What?" Zieg hurried over next to Matthias.

"Those bastards are picking on children!" Kantas spat. "How low can they sink?"

"Children...?" Erisi whispered to herself. She looked over at her three companions.

"Stand back Human!" A Wingly soldier pointed his sword blade at Rose's throat.

Rose gritted her teeth and stood her ground in front of the small children.

"Leave our village..." Rose said. "Now!"

"Oh yeah," another Wingly taunted. "Says who?"

"I_ do," Erisi said, approaching the pack._

"Erisi!" Matthias said. "She's nuts!"

"Who the hell are you?" The armed Wingly turned from Rose and looked scornfully at Erisi.

Erisi narrowed her eyes and brough her hand up, pointing at the Wingly. In a split second, wings appeared at her back and the foul-mouthed Wingly soldier flew back into a brick wall.

Kantas looked shock. "Whoa!"

Zieg smiled. "Packs a punch, doesn't she?"

Rose looked over at Erisi. "What the...? Who...?"

Erisi lowered her arm to her side.

Matthias could feel her magic aura grow with her anger. "Whoa..."

"I will not be spoken to in that fashion!" Erisi said coldly.

Ignoring the fallen soldier, the other four Winglies fell to their knees.

"Princess!" They chanted in unison.

"Princess?" Matthias whispered as Zieg and Kantas exchanged bewildered looks.

After Erisi had dismissed the soldiers with a promise of a painful death if they ever did anything like this again, she turned to Rose. "Are you all right?" She said with a smile.

Rose's shocked look changed to that of anger. "I never asked for help from a Wingly!" 

Erisi's face fell.

"You know, Rose," Erisi heard from behind her. She felt an arm circle around her shoulders. "Not all of us Winglies believe in Melbu Frahma."

"You're the exception Matthias," Rose said. "You grew up with Humans."

Zieg approached Rose slowly.

"Simmer down a bit, Rose. She's friendly, she doesn't bite," Kantas said.

"You can't tell a book by its cover!" Rose snapped. "She may seen pretty and sweet, but at the core, she's just as black and cold as all the others of her kind!"

"It's just as well," Erisi whispered. Matthias looked down at her.

"I just killed a man!" She buried her face in her hands. "It's treason. Even princesses are susceptible to the law."

"Now you know how we feel!" Rose snapped.

Matthias glared at Rose. This wasn't like her at all. Well, she had never received assistance from a strange Wingly before. He glanced down at Erisi. Rose's verbal rejection and the guilt of taking the life of another being were really weighing down on her.

Erisi felt arms circle around her shoulders and was embraced.

"Don't cry," Matthias told her. "Ignore her. If you wish to join our side, she'll get used to you. She got used to Charle. If you're unsure, just stay by me."

Erisi didn't answer. She didn't need to.

  


-- -- --

  


"Daughter?"

Erisi snapped out of her memory. She stood out on a balcony outside her private chamber. She blinked her eyes a couple of times, took a deep breath, and glanced around. She sensed her visitor behind her.

"Good morning to you, Father," Erisi said without turning around.

"I came to speak with you," Father Albus said.

"I surmised that much," she stated.

"Look at me," he commanded.

Erisi turned around, leaning on the balcony railing in a very Rose-like fasion.

"They want you to go," he said without further ado. "Matthias...he needs your presence. He needs you by his side."

"So now he does," Erisi said, a faint tone of sourness in her speech.

The father Abbot knew what she spoke about. "Forgive him, my child. Anger in one's heart gives birth to more anger and leaves nothing solved."

"He left me behind to wait for him," she said almost bitterly. "For almost an eternity..."

"Daughter...was he not elated to see you?" Father Abbot asked.

"Abbot, yes, he was happy," Erisi said. "But, he still left...even after he said he would never leave my side."

"It was his restless spirit that forced him to leave," Abbot Albus reminded her. "You were raised to stay put in a place, he was raised as a renegade, constantly moving from place to place."

"It was my fault," Erisi said. "I drove him away."

The Abbot looked at her quizzically.

"I told him I couldn't bear children," Erisi turned back around to face the Abbey grounds.

"I know," Albus said quietly. "Matthias loved children."

There was a moment of silence between the pair.

"Well," Father Abbot said. "I won't force you to change your decision."

With that, the Abbot turned and left Erisi alone.

She sighed as she watched Deirdre and Kurintsu talk on the Abbey's north wall. Those two...they're like siblings, they're so close.

Erisi rubbed her eyes. "Those flashbacks are happening frequently, yet not in order. Why are they jumping around like that?"

  


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Previous || Continue... || Back to : 

To be continued...


	15. Evil Conspiracies

The Legend of Dragoon: The Divine Blessings

--Written by Naki

  
  
  
  


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Chapter 15 :Evil Conspiracies

  
  


"Lord Bane."

Bane turned his garnet eyes to face Demeter, his female assistant. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but..." Demeter took on the nervous schoolgirl attitude that totally clashed with her skimpy outfit that exposed almost everything of her slender body. "I'm assured that you remember Zieg Feld?"

"Of course!" Bane spat.

"It's just that," Demeter said, avoiding eyes contact with her master. "He and his female companion assisted the three females that were captured by Repard to escape."

Bane narrowed his eyes. "How? My rival and his companion are dead in Mayfil."

"Yes, Master, but as it seems the two were exposed to enough Wingly magic that their spirits were formed into semi-solid apparitions. That way, they can cause harm to living and non-living objects."

Bane though for a moment. "But, to where could the trio have gone?" He leaned back against the wall. His eyes widened as an idea hit him. He turned his head towards Demeter. "Do you know of an abbey just insde the border of Mille Seseau?"

Demeter hesitated for a moment. She shook her head once. "No, Sire, I'm sorry, but I have no knowledge of such a place."

"Snowdrift Abbey...the closest source of sanctuary around here. It was built in the era following the Dragon Campaign." Bane said, smirking. "It was after my time."

He found some amusement in Demeter's puzzled expression.

"I'll destroy that pathetic abbey. I'll turn it into a real snowdrift!"

  


-- -- --

  


Matthias sat on a broad marble window ledge. The window was made out of stained glass like massive cathedral windows and his face glowed green from the pane next to him.

Lavitz entered. "Are you going to stay there and pout all day?"

He received no answer. Matthias was in no particular mood to be teased.

Lavitz stared at him. "Matthias...Matthias!"

It was like talking to a brick wall.

Matthias sat quietly, immersed in his thoughts and successfully blocking out Lavitz's unwanted banter. Suddenly, a voice cut through his thoughts.

_"I'll destroy that pathetic abbey. I'll turn it into a real snowdrift!"_

Matthias became alert and sat up quickly, dropping his feet to the stone floor.

Lavitz, who had turned to leave, looked back over his shoulder. "What's wrong now?"

Matthias looked over at Lavitz with a penetrating glare. "Lavitz, go find the Father Abbot and tell him to get all abbey dwellers into the main abbey building. We need the Dragoons."

"Why?" Lavitz asked.

"The one called Bane just ordered his Winglies to attack this abbey."

Although throughly confused, Lavitz nodded and ran to find the Abbot.

_Things are starting to get far more interesting..."Bane." Unknown to you, I can feel everything that goes on in the bowels of Mayfil._ Matthias thought.

  


-- -- --

  


Matthias gathered the Dragoons on the abbey grounds as Lavitz helped the Abbot get everybody inside.

Before he shut the doors, Deirdre gave Lavitz a small kiss and handed him a green ball.

"I was told to give this to you."

Lavitz stared at the green ball that rested in the palm of his hand.

"This is...a Dragoon Spirit..." Lavitz whispered.

  


-- -- --

  


"What's up, Matthias?" Meru asked as Lavitz jogged up to join them.

"The enemy is going to attack the abbey," Matthias stated. To halt any further questions, he added: "The enemy has based itself in Mayfil and its surrounding area. Because of that, I can eavesdrop on their advancements. I haven't yet consciously done it, but I heard Bane's voice go through my head earlier. He will attack the abbey."

"So we should be on our guard then," Dart stood off to the side with his arms folded over his chest.

"That would be desirable," Matthias said.

Claira bit her lip in apprehension of the upcoming battle, and pulled her black stone out of her pocket.

"What's that?" Haschel asked, leaning over closer to her.

"It's a good luck charm my mom gave me," Claira said. "I wash I know how she was doing."

"Like it or not, now's not the time to think about that," Haschel said.

Claira smiled at Haschel. "You're right."

Meanwhile, Lavitz was showing Dart the Dragoon Spirit Deirdre had given him.

Dart held it in between his thumb and forefinger and held it up to inspect it.

"It's the same shade of green as the Jade Dragoon Spirit, right Albert?" Dart said.

Albert took the Spirit and compared it to his own. "Hmm. Not entirely. Lavitz's is about a half-a-shade lighter." He handed it back to Lavitz.

Just when it hit Lavitz's palm, the Dragoon Spirit resonated. Bright light green beams of light emitted from the small ball.

When the light faded, Lavitz looked up in surprise to Dart and Albert.

"I don't believe it," he said. "This is the Spirit of the Green Tusked Dragon."

"Fehyrbrand," Dart said.

"How...did you know?" Albert asked.

Matthias answered that question for Lavitz. "When a Dragoon Spirit is used for the first time, the Dragon's Spirit speaks to its owner," Matthias explained. "It tells its owner who it is and what its element is. Any owner after that has to guess."

"Learn something new everyday," Dart smirked.

Matthias jerked his head towards the south wall. "They're coming."

"Where are they?" Meru asked.

"Look!" Albert pointed. "Crystal Tracks!"

"Like I said, they are here. And watching us, too." Matthias said. "They're cloaked by Wingly magic." Matthias' eyes widened suddenly and he turned his head. "Dart! Look out!"

A beam of light came from somewhere in front of them all of a sudden and caught Dart square in the chest. The force of the magic threw Dart into the wall behind him.

"Dart!" Claira yelled.

"Dart!" Lavitz ran over to him.

A sinister laugh rang through the air. A Wingly man appeared in the sky as the source of the laughter and the magic. An entire army of Winglies appeared behind him.

The Wingly man lowered himself to the ground. "So, it seems you are not as strong as legend says, Dragoons."

"Who are you?" Haschel demanded.

"I am called Bane," he said. "And I will not be spoken to in that fashion by an old Human man."

Haschel was hit hard by a magic blast of ice.

"Haschel!" Meru cried.

Claira looked from Dart to Haschel. Two Dragoons out of the running in two blows. She looked at Bane. Scowling, she approached him.

"Claira..." Meru said, watching her from her squatted position next to Haschel's prone form in the snow.

Bane sneered at her. "Such a small girl. Are you insanely brave, or incredibly stupid to stand up against me like this?"

Keeping her cold glare, Claira spoke. "I can stand up against any monster."

"Are you suggesting that I'm a monster?" Bane asked.

"You attack a place of peace!" Claira exclaimed. "If you're not a monster, you're a demon!"

"A demon?" Bane chuckled. "Enough with the childish games. You bore me." He pointed at her and fired a dark beam.

Claira half expected that, and dodged.

"Nimble little brat," Bane commented. He fired several more beams at her, watching her dodge. He turned to Claira. "Your agility is admirable, young one. However..." he vanished.

Claira refused to panic. She knew in situations like this that one's enemy would almost always appear behind her. He's going by the book.

With reflexes born from her training, Claira whipped around and jumped to the side.

As she landed, her feet slipped in the snow. She landed on her rear, giving her opponent the advantage.

Bane powered up a powerful attack as she scrambled to her feet. He fired.

"Claira!" Meru cried.

Before anything else happened, a black light resonated before her. It sent out a protective barrier that countered the magic used by Bane. The light encompassed Claira.

In a few short seconds, Claira became aware of her body quickly changing, as if it were trying to catch up to where it was supposed to be.

She could see nothing but flashing light.

_"Young one, you are behind in your time."_ A deep voice said to her. _"Defeat your enemies, using my power..."_

Claira shut her eyes. _A Spirit...spoke to me..._

Thelight died down as a totally different person stood, dressed as a Dragoon.

Claira stood there as the new Dragoon, though she was now a mature adult, almost five years older in appearance.

"What is this?" She asked, looked at herself. She paused, marveling at how much older her voice sounded. "I've...grown up..."

She then noticed her black hair had grown five years' worth. It was nearly down to her backside.

"What is this?" Bane muttered through clenched teeth.

Claira tossed her hair over her shoulder. She then turned her attention to Bane.

"Now," she said. "See what you did. Anger blinds one to the possible consequences of his actions, no matter how bizarre they may be."

Bane vanished and reappeared in the air in front of his army. He fired a large blast at her.

Claira threw her arms up in front of her head and blocked the attack.

She lowered her arms as she looked up at him and smirked.

Bane looked shocked.

"Tell your men," Claira called. "To block this!"

She held her right hand up to the sky and spread her fingers apart. She gripped her wrist with her left hand and powered up.

"Black Dragon..." Claira called. "Cannon!"

An enormous silvery beam shot from her hand into the sky.

Bane shielded his eyes with his arms. "That dragon..."

Sharp pain ripped through Claira's right arm. She cried out, and held it with her left hand as she stumbled back a step, allowing her arm to dangle in front of her.

As the dust cleared, it so happened that Claira's attack...had taken out half the army.

"Damn...!" Haschel said.

Matthias smirked. "Michael."

Bane turned to survey his army. Rather, what was left of it. He growled in frustration and in the blink of an eye, the Winglies vanished.

In a flash of light, Claira returned to her normal state.

"Claira!" Meru called, running up to her. She observed Claira with a look of surprise. "You're...big now."

Claira giggled as the others approached. "The Black Burst Dragon cleansed me of all the Wingly magic tha thad stunted my growth over the past five years. Essentially, my body finally caught up with my age."

Matthias looked over at Claira. "The Black Burst Dragon?"

Claira nodded. "Yes."

"I was right," Matthias smiled. "It's Michael's Spirit."

"Michael?" Meru and Lavitz asked.

"Rose's dragon," Dart reminded Meru. "You remember, the dragon that attacked us on the Moon That Never Sets."

Haschel stared at Claira. "Wow. You look just like my daughter did when she was that age."

"Should I be flattered?" Claira asked with a smirk.

Haschel nodded. "Oh yes."

Kurintsu poked his head out of an upstairs dormitory window. "Lavitz, is it safe?"

Upon receiving a positive response from Lavitz, Kurintsu disappeared back into the building and a few moments later, a flood of people leaked out onto the abbey grounds.

Matthias felt a sense of relief that none of the abbey dwellers had been hurt, but that sense of betrayal and loneliness from before the battle returned to haunt him.

Ignoring the sudden influx of people, Matthias turned towards the west. He watched the sun begin to dip beneath the horizon, and he knew that they would be leaving early the next morning.

But, what bothered him the most was Erisi. Why did she just decide not to go all of a sudden? Didn't she realzie how much he loved her? How much he needed her?

His coppery eyes caught a glimpse of a longhaired-silhouetted figure in a gown steal back inside the abbey from a balcony.

Matthias' mouth curved into a silent smirk. _There you are, my little one. Perhaps we might converse tonight...and be together again once more._

  


-- -- --

  


Matthias waited patiently, until dark. He sat upon the north wall's ramparts, swinging his legs absentmindedly towards the main abbey building.

He waited until the last person entered the building to escape the outside's chill.

Without further ado, Matthias stood up.

  


-- -- --

  


Erisi stood in her room dressed in a thin nightgown. The gown was a light blue, and it matched the color of her eyes.

She bent over and tossed the sheets back on her bed. Just as she did, she heard a knob turn, hinges creak, and a burst of cold air met her back.

She heard the sound of a door closing, and she turned around.

Matthias stood just inside the room, leaning on the glass door that led to the balcony.

"Matthias..." Erisi said quietly, taking a step back.

"I have a question," Matthias said suddenly, his voice shattering the quiet. "Just a small one, nothing to get worked up about."

Erisi took a breath, and nervously brushed her bangs out of her eyes in a gesture that was her habit. Why was she suddenly nervous around him?

"Yes?" Erisi said in a wavering tone.

"Why?" Matthias asked. "Why are you staying here? Don't you realize how much I need you?"

"You didn't seem to need me so much last time," Erisi responded. It took him a second, but Matthias knew what she meant. "You told me you'd never leave my side, and I wake up the next morning, and guess what? You're gone, nowhere to be seen."

Matthias noted the sourness in her voice and frowned in shame.

"But..." Erisi sighed. "What I said was unfair to you. I drove you away." She turned around to face the bed.

"What?" Matthias looked shocked.

"You remember, don't you?" Erisi said with a slight sob in her voice. "When I told you I couldn't have children. I drove you away with that comment."

Matthias walked up behind her. "And what did I say? 'Let's just see about that.' Erisi, you didn't drive me away. I just left. People make mistakes, and I made one. I followed my instincts instead of my heart. My instincts said 'Go for it. You were born to travel.' I'm so sorry, Erisi. I never meant to hurt you."

Erisi remained standing with her back towards him, and didn't say a word.

Matthias put his arms around Erisi's tiny waist and embraced her with her back against his chest.

Almost immediately, Erisi could feel everything. His love, his heart, his desires, his needs. She was at the center of his entire being.

"I love you," Matthias whispered to her. Once again, she felt his rough exterior melt away to show his soft, caring interior he hardly ever shows.

He turned her around and looked deep into her eyes.

Matthias brought a hand up and tilted her chin back. His other hand slipped up to cradle her upper back, as he brought her face to his in a kiss.

Erisi felt all her quarrels with him dissolve as she fell into his arms.

  


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To be continued...


	16. Hand of God

The Legend of Dragoon: The Divine Blessings

--Written by Naki

  
  
  
  


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Chapter 16 : Hand of God

  
  


General Repard and Captain Blian approached Bane's chambers. Before they reached the door, however, Demeter stepped out of the shadows and stopped them.

"Out of our way," Repard growled at her.

Demeter ignored him. "I recommend not disturbing the Master right now. He is rather perturbed at his loss yesterday. He is in a foul mood. And as will I be if you disturb him."

"You'll be in much more than a foul mood if you don't move," Repard snapped, grabbing Demeter by the throat viciously, his eyes narrowing. "You'll be in pieces!"

Captain Blian reached out and laid a hand on the General's arm. "General, with all due respect, I think we should heed her warning."

Repard scowled at the two of them, but he released his grip on Demeter's throat. "There, happy?"

"No need to be snappy," Demeter said to Repard in a sweet voice. "I was just warning you. If you choose to ignore my warning..." she motioned over her shoulder with her thumb, "go right on ahead through that door. However, some of us," she smiled at the Captain to her left, "are not suicidal."

Repard growled at her again. "Are you suggesting that I'm foolish enough to take my own life when I'm at the height of my career?"

Demeter's smile remained on her face. "No. I am suggesting that you are foolish enough no to heed a warning. This will lead to your death one day, General."

"Shut up," Repard shoved her unceremoniously to the side as he led Blian to Bane's door.

Demeter pulled herself up onto a ledge that was cut out of the stone wall. She idly kicked her legs out and called out to the pair. "Who's the more foolish: the fool or the fool who follows him?"

Blian stopped and turned around to look at the scantly-clad woman. She winked and blew a kiss at him.

Repard whirled around, glaring at her. "Cut that out!"

Demeter vanished from where she had been sitting and reappeared standing in front of Bane's door. She had her arms crossed over her semi-exposed chest, and a commanding look on her face. "Fine. You want it straight, I'll give it to you straight from the Master's mouth. He wishes not to be disturbed. Anyone who does disturb him, dies."

There was a short moment of silence so this statement could sink in.

"Demeter!" Bane's voice tore through the double wooden doors behind her. "Let those two in!"

Repard's triumphant smirk vanished when Bane's voice went dangerously low.

I wish to speak with them now."

Demeter carefully opened the door for them, and almost giggled when Repard walked past, whimpering. She stopped Blian and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I fear the Master is of foul temper. I wish you good luck with him tonight, Captain."

Blian ran the tips of his right fingers along the curve of her jaw. "Naturally, I would say to leave the well wishes for those who truly need it. But tonight..." his face turned from relaxed to fearful. "I truly need it."

Demeter giggled lightly as he left her standing at the room's threshold and ventured into the depths of Bane's chambers.

  


-- -- --

  


Erisi awoke the next morning. She yawned and blinked a couple of times. She suddenly sat up, remembering to cover herself with the blanket. Matthias was gone. The sheets on the right side of the bed on which he slept were still tossed back when he got up.

Erisi felt those familiar emotions rise up within her at full force. She put a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from crying out.

_No, not again. No goodbye, Matthias? Why did you leave without saying goodbye?_

Tears were beginning to creep out of her eyes when she noticed a folded piece of paper and a flower lying on Matthias' pillow.

She first picked the flower up off the pillow. This was an interesting flower that she'd seen before. It was a peculiar flower called a snow flower. Snow flowers were small and delicate flowers made of snow that were infused with Wingly magic that kept the flower's shpa and also prevented it from melting. These were commonly used as small gifts Wingly children made for others during winter time.

This snow flower was shaped like a rose. Erisi figured that Matthias must've gotten either Kurintsu or Deirdre to make it for him. She smiled as she placed the cold flower carefully back down onto the pillow.

Erisi next picked up the folded piece of paper. She opened it carefully, and recognized Matthias' messy handwriting.

She read it slowly, with a soft smile on her lips. Upon hearing a small noise in the room, Erisi's head shot up.

Sun Raye sat up on a ledge of a window that was next to the balcony doors. Sun Raye sat licking her front paws and rubbing them over her ears and face in a cat-like manner. She put her paw down and made a sound similar to a meow.

Eris wasn't expecting to see her pet here. Her cheeks turned a light shade of red as Sun Raye said, "Good morning!"

"Uh..." Erisi said, brushing her bangs out of her eyes as she remembered what had taken place during the night. "Sun Raye...how...exactly how long have you been in here?"

Sun Raye, in fact, knew what had gone on during the night. The Manoo blushed, the reddened skin showing through the dark fur of her face.

"I, uh..." Sun Raye started, looking a bit sheepish. "I came in after the fact." She paused for a moment, and seeing Erisi's expression, she continued quickly. "I didn't watch Matthias get dressed, I swear. I have no interest in Wingly men." She paused a second time, and added as an after thought, "I have no interest in _any_ Humanoid men."

Erisi smiled at her. Keeping her back to Sun Raye, Erisi scooted over to the edge of the bed. She reached over to the chair that her white dress was draped out on. Erisi dressed quickly.

She walked over to the doulbe doors that led out to the balcony. Sun Raye had moved over to the wicker chair that was next to the double doors. She watched Erisi brush her hair.

"Otohime-sama," Sun Raye piped up. "Why are people such as you, Matthias and Dart called Humanoids?"

Erisi sat her hairbrush down on the nightstand. "I guess it's because the Humans came before the Winglies."

  


-- -- --

  


"Okay, here's the game plan," Bane lectured as he, General Repard, and the newly promoted Colonel Blian stood around a magic map that glowed green. "I call this 'Hand of God.'" He motioned to the map with a hand. "General, Colonel, you two and myself will each lead a small army of a hundred Winglies. Now, this map shows the outlay of Snowdrift Abbey from the bird's eye view. As you can see," he pointed to the map, "the main gate faces east. And there are smaller steel doors on the north and south walls. On the west wall, however, there is no gate or outlet of any kind, for it faces the Death Frontier." He waved both hands over the map, as if to encompass it as a whole. "We are going to use this Human design to our advantage. Now, here's how this plan is going to work," as he spoke, objects and words appear magically on the map. "I will take my men and lead an attack on the main gate. However, this is only a diversionary tactic. At this time, when the 'abbey dwellers' are distracted with me at the main gate, you two will make your moves. General Repard, you will take your hundred men and attack the north wall. At the same time, Colonel Blian will attack the south wall."

Colonel Blian scrutinized the map with a thoughtful look on his face. "So, it's a pincer move."

"A what?" General Repard asked.

Blian turned to the superior officer. "A pincer move is when two or more forces surround a common foe in attempt to defeat it."

Bane nodded. "Yes, very good, Colonel. That's precisely what we are going to do."

  


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To be continued...


	17. Two Decades Past

The Legend of Dragoon: The Divine Blessings

--Written by Naki

  
  
  
  


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Chapter 17 : Two Decades Past

  
  


"Whoa," Claira remarked as they entered Lohan.

Looking up and down the deserted streets, Albert added, "It's like a ghost town."

Dart felt uncomfortable, and Haschel spoke what Dart was thinking.

"This town is normally all a bustle. Where is everybody?"

"They're in hiding."

A dark-haired woman jumped down from a roof of a nearby building. "This city is under martial law. No one but my people are allowed on the streets."

Lavitz flashed a questioning glance at Dart, and Albert jsut about exploded.

"What?" Albert yelled. "Who gave you the authority to command this city under martial law?"

The woman only glanced at him in indifference. "Charle Frahma and Queen Emille. There, I've answered your question, now leave this city before you're arrested."

"Why should I?" Albert countered coolly. "I wish not to sound degrading, but if I must, I will. I will only say this once; I will not be commanded or arrested in my country."

The woman tucked an offending strand of hair behind her ear. "So, you're King Albert. Queen Emille has spoken highly of you. I apologize for my earlier actions."

She turned to leave without anything further.

"How rude of her!" Meru said in a low voice to Claira.

"She's always been blunt like that," Claira said, watching her go.

"What do you mean?" Meru asked.

"She's only a little older..." Claira muttered. She suddenly pushed past Dart, and called out. "Wait!"

The woman stopped and turned around, crossing her arms. "Yes?"

Claira recognized the impatient tone and smiled. That was characteristic of her.

"Well, what do you want?" The woman nearly barked.

"Your name's Claire Feld, right?" Claira asked.

The woman froze. "Yes. How...did you know?"

"I have my ways..." Claira said. "Mom."

Claire's eyes widened as she covered her mouth with a gloved hand. "Claira..."

Claira ran up and embraced her mother.

Watching the reunion, Meru tugged on Dart's arm.

"Dart, isn't that your mom, too?" She asked. "I remember you saying something about your mom's name being Claire."

Dart couldn't believe his eyes. He wasn't an orphan. He never was. Not even when his father died two years ago.

He walked over to the pair, waiting to be noticed. Claire finally looked over to him, and her eyes widened again.

"Dart?" She asked tentatively. Dart nodded and embraced her.

Claire pulled away and looked up into his face with a look of disbelief. "I thought you were dead."

"And I thought _you_ were dead," Dart countered. Claire smiled.

"I guess we fooled ourselves," she said.

"Claire?"

Claire turned to acknowledge the voice. It belonged to a young woman about Dart's age.

"Hi Lily," Claire said, wiping her eyes.

Lily had dark brown hair that cascaded down her back and she had blue eyes. Her hair was bound loosely in the middle. She looked wide-eyed at Dart.

"Who is that?" She blurted out like a small child. "He looks exactly like Zieg!"

"Yeah!" Claira exclaimed. "Momma, where's Zieg?"

"Um, he should be with Guaraha," Claire replied.

"Guaraha!" Meru said.

Claire looked over at Meru with a curious look on her face. Meru ran up to her.

"Where is Guaraha?" Meru asked, getting into Claire's face.

"Who are you?" Claire asked, feeling uncomfortable around the hyper Meru.

"I'm Meru!" She smiled. "Where's Guaraha?"

"Momma, take us to Zieg please," Claira said, taking hold of Dart's arm.

"Who's Zieg?" Dart asked, feeling hopelessly lost.

"Our brother," Claira answered.

Claire looked from Dart to Claira. "You don't remember your brother, do you Dart?"

Dart shook his head.

"Then you're in for the surprise of your life!" Claira smiled.

  


-- -- --

  


Claire led them through a series of doors and passages before coming to a large room. Many people filled this room. Most of them were Winglies.

"Who are they?" Claira asked her mother.

"They are loyal to Lady Charle. This is about a third of her Winglies, though. The other two-thirds are in Bale, protecting the capital from any other attacks."

The blue-eyed brunette from earlier moved next to Dart.

"What's your name again?" Dart asked.

"Lily," she answered. She looked over at Claira. "You've sure grown, Claira."

Claira smiled at her. "It's been a long time, Lily. Have you and Zieg tied the knot yet?"

Lily shook her head. "No. Not yet."

"Oh! Why is he waiting?" Claira said, her voice toned with aggravation.

Lily shrugged. "We've talked about it plenty of times."

Haschel tapped Dart on the shoulder. "We're missing one."

"Uh, yeah, Kongol said he would wait outside," Dart answered.

"No. I know that. We're still missing one," Haschel said.

Dart took count; he closed his eyes and groaned softly in exasperation. "Meru..."

Suddenly, over the commotion of the occupants of the room, came...

"OH MY GOD!!"

_Everything_ stopped. You could hear a pin drop.

Without thinking, Dart immediately rubbed his eyes and said again, "Meru..."

Meru was accompanied by Guaraha, and a young Human man with blonde hair. She stood stock still, staring at the blonde man.

"She's embarrassing..." Dart muttered.

Lily looked up at him. "No. I understand why she said that."

"Why?" Dart asked.

Lily nodded to the blonde man. "That's Zieg."

Meru had Zieg by the wrist and practically dragged him over to their group.

"Mr. Zieg Feld Jr., meet Mr. Dart Feld," Meru said dramatically.

The room fell silent again.

The two men stared at each other. Dart was speechless.

However, Zieg wasn't. "Mom said I had a brother, but she said he was dead."

"I had no idea I had any family," Dart said, finding his voice. Zieg reached out and gripped Dart's hand in his own, shaking it firmly.

"Isn't this weird?" Meru blurted out. "Dart's got a twin!"

Claira smiled at her. "That's what I thought when I first saw Dart."

Zieg released Dart's hand and turned to Claira. "Little sis?"

Claira nodded. Zieg enveloped her in a hug. After pulling away from her brother, she felt a hand descend on her head.

"Small Lady?"

"Guaraha!" Claira said, turning around.

"I guess I can't call you that anymore," Guaraha smirked. "You're not so small anymore."

"Zieg," Lily said, walking up. "How's Shana?"

"She's fine," Zieg answered. "The contractions have gone away for now."

That caught Dart's attention.

"Shana?" He asked.

Zieg looked at him. "Yeah. She was staying in Bale, but she decided to come here to see the doctor before having her baby."

"Where is she?" Dart asked.

A young Wingly female walked up and handed Zieg a piece of paper. He scanned it, and looked at his brother.

"Who is she to you?"

"My wife."

"Well," Zieg said, tapping the paper, "Queen Emille said to guard her with our lives. I'm not quite sure she mentioned who her husband was..."

"Zieg, did she have a small animal with her?" Claira asked.

"You mean Phoenix?"

Claira nodded. "He's mine."

The young Wingly girl tugged lightly on Zieg's arm. "Mr. Zieg, you're needed."

"Uh...Lily, could you take him to her?" He motioned to the girl next to him. "I gotta take care of somethin'."

"Sure."

  


-- -- --

  


Lily led Dart out of the room, and down a semi-dark passageway.

"I'm glad to see Claira is safe," she said.

"At first I thought she was going to be cocky and hyper..." Dart said. "But, that was long before I found out she was my sister."

"How'd that happen?" Lily asked.

"She was kidnapped by Winlies and taken to Death City Mayfil. She met our dad there..." Dart trailed off. "It sort of shocked me to hear that, considering I saw dad die."

"Zieg doesn't remember his father," Lily said. "And I'm an orphan. Claire practically raised me."

She stopped at a door and opened it, sticking her head in.

"Shana? You have a visitor."

Dart immediately recognized the voice from within.

"Okay. I feel fine right now."

Lily moved out of the way and Dart stuck his head in.

"Hey," he said, smiling.

Her face lit up immediately. She recognized his short, messy blonde hair and red body armor that denoted her husband, and not his brother. "Dart!"

He came in, shut the door behind him and shed his armor. He hurried over to the bed on which she sat up in, and gently embraced her.

He sat down on the edge of the bed as Shana rearranged the pillows that propped her up.

Dart placed a hand on Shana's swollen stomach.

"You've grown," he remarked. Shana took his hand in her hands.

"I heard you started having contractions," Dart said seriously.

Shana nodded. "Yeah. They started yesterday, but they come and go."

"Do they hurt?"

She nodded. "They were unbearable sometimes."

Dart gently squeezed her hand. "Don't worry...I'm here now."

Shana's face scrunched up and she squeezed Dart's hand hard. She cried out in pain.

This scared Dart. Shana normally had a high tolerance for pain.

Shana's grip on Dart's hand lessened, and she slumped back against the pillows.

"Are you okay?" Dart asked.

"It was just...a contraction," Shana said.

"That was a pretty ban one," Dart commented, still concerned.

"I can deal with it," Shana said defiantly.

"Shana, I'm not trying to treat you like a child," Dart caressed her cheek with his hand. "You don't have to act so strong."

Shana nodded. "I wanna lie down."

Dart helped her rearrange her pillows and eased her down on her back.

A scratching at the window caught their attention. Phoenix wanted inside.

Dart leaned over and unlatched the window. Phoenix pushed the window open, allowing a cool breeze inside.

Shana softly patted Phoenix's head, causing a small meow from him.

Dart stared out of the window, the wind playing with his long bangs. He saw something in the corner of his eye that caught his attention. He leaned over Shana's legs to get a closer look outside.

He observed two Winglies as they landed on a rooftop a building away from the one Dart and Shana occupied. The one thing that alarmed Dart was what the Winglies wore. Their attire matched the uniforms the Winglies at Snowdrift Abbey wore.

Dart stood, slammed the window closed, and shut the curtains. This plunged the room into darkness.

"Dart, what...?" Shana said, staring into the pitch black of the room. "Dart, where are you?"

A hand closed over hers. "I'm here. Can you walk? We need to leave this room. Come on, get Phoenix, and let's go."

As they left the room, Shana was carrying a confused Phoenix and a small book.

"The doctor said I should stay in bed," Shana informed him. "Why are we doing this? What did you see outside?"

"We were followed," Dart muttered crossly.

"Huh?" Shana asked.

"When we were in Mille Seseau, we stayed a couple of nights at Snowdrift Abbey. While we were there, the abbey was attacked by Winglies who wore gray uniforms. I just saw two of them outside wearing the exact same thing."

There was a sudden explosion and the door to the room they just left blew off its hinges and smacked into the wall clear across the corridor.

"I think they saw us!" Dart exclaimed, whirling around to look behind them. He looked at Shana; she couldn't run. He swept her up in his arms and tore down the hall until he found the large room from before.

Dart kicked the door and it burst inward with such a force it slammed into the wall and left a deep depression in it. He set Shana down on her feet and slammed the door closed again, leaning his back up against it.

"Oh, boy. I hope they didn't see where we went," Dart muttered, noticing the many pairs of eyes on them.

"Dart, it's almost next to impossible not to see you," Shana said. She tapped his chest plate. "With all this red armor on, you're a walking target."

"What was that explosion?" Zieg demanded, still weary of the man who was his newfound brother.

"It was the bad g--" Just as Dart said that, something very large or very powerful slammed into the door from the outside. He was thrown a bit forward with the door, however, the door remained shut. "Shana! Get back!"

She hurried out of the way, retreating back to Claire as Dart moved away from the door and drew his sword.

"If they want a fight, I'll give it to them," Dart muttered. Zieg came up, also armed with a sword.

Zieg exchanged a glance with his brother and smirked. "Great minds think alike, huh?"

Dart smirked back. "Yeah. I guess."

The doorway burst open, sending the doors flying. Screams rent the air.

Squinting through the dust, Dart caught sight of a gray uniform.

"Get ready," he said to Zieg.

As the dust settled, a round number of about ten Winglies stood in a line formation of two rows.

"What is this?" Dart heard Guaraha mutter from behind him.

"_We_ were sent to destroy this facility," one Wingly in gray said. "And to pick up the one called the Moon Child."

Zieg narrowed his eyes. "Then you have to get through us first."

"That should be easy," the Wingly in gray said.

"Wanna bet?" Dart said, feeling an old familiar energy rise in him. A red light at his chest began to resonate and a moment later, there stood the Red-Eye Dragoon.

Without waiting, Dart kicked off and practically flew into the crowd of uniformed Winglies. They retreated out into the corridor and out a window. Dart followed. The next thing Dart saw was, unbelievably, Matthias. He intercepted the fleeing Winglies, reared his fist back, and punched the lead Wingly nearly through the head. As the dead Wingly fell to the ground, almost decapitated, Matthias looked at his hand and forearm, which was covered in blood and other unmentionable stuff.

"Ugh...!" Matthias shook his arm once, flinging the gross matter off.

Dart gave chase to the others, who suddenly turned and began attacking the lone Dragoon.

"I don't think so," Dart heard Matthias say. Dart saw Matthias zoom past him and continue fighting with the Winglies, his lance still strapped to his back.

A flash of green whizzed past Dart's left side and Lavitz hovered in front of him. He turned and gave Dart a thumbs up, holding his spear in the other hand.

Dart smirked. "Thanks for joining us, Green-Tusked Dragoon."

"Anytime," Lavitz answered. He turned and lashed out with a magic spell.

  


-- -- --

  


As Dart landed on the wide window sill of the window he had exited on just minutes before, the effects of the Dragoon Spirit wore off and he returned to his normal state. Lavitz joined him, and then Matthias, who was busy wiping the gore off his arms and clothes. Lavitz made a rather sickly face at him, which only procured a laugh from Matthias.

"Too gross for you, Lavitz?" Matthias laughed. Lavitz ignored him.

They turned around to see Albert tear from the large room. He ran towards them, his face a picture of urgency.

"Dart!" He said after catching his breath. "Something happened while you two were gone..."

"What?" Dart asked.

"Shana's gone into labor," Albert said. "You'd better hurry. She needs you."

Lavitz suddenly wished he could've gotten a picture of Dart's face at that moment. If it weren't so serious a situation, it would've been funny. Dart tore down the hall, skidding to a stop so he could turn through the doorway.

"I guess men do crazy things when their wives go into labor," Lavitz commented.

Albert chuckled. "That reminds me of what happened when Emille went into labor."

Lavitz looked at him. "Do tell. I'm in the mood for a good laugh."

Albert smiled as he recalled the tale. "It was in the middle of the night. Emille nudged me awake and said, 'Albert, my water broke. I'm having the baby.' I look over my shoulder and give her a sleepy 'Huh?' She lays a hand on my shoulder and shakes me a bit, saying again, only this time louder, 'I'm having the baby!' I'm awake immidiately, come to my senses and practically yell, 'Oh shit!'"

Lavitz fell out. Matthias chuckled.

"I don't think I've ever heard you cuss before," Lavitz said.

"That's what I thought about Emille before she went into labor," Albert said, nodding. "She said some words I thought I would only hear out of the mouth of a hoodlum."

Lavitz stared at Albert. "Seriously...?"

"Not only that," Albert continued. "She called me some pretty nasty things too."

"She cussed you out," Lavitz said with a tone of disbelief in his voice. Albert nodded.

"I've heard worse," Matthias piped up.

Lavitz and Albert looked at him.

"You two shoulda been there when Rose's sister had her kid," Matthias said. "If her husband was alive, he woulda died then and there, I can guarantee that. After that incident, I looked at Zieg and wished him luck."

"Rose had a sister?" Albert asked.

Matthias nodded. "Twin sister."

Albert and Lavitz exchanged simultaneous glances.

  


-- -- --

  


A group of people had congragated outside the room Shana occupied. Meru paced back and forth, irritating Haschel.

"Would you please, for the tenth time, stop doing that?" Haschel almost barked.

"Don't be harsh on her," Albert said, nearly quoting him.

Haschel glared at him.

"I'm sorry, I just can't wait to see if it's a boy or a girl!" Meru said.

"Meru, you're gonna hafta wait just like the rest of us," Claira said. "I'm gonna be an aunt."

"And I a grandmother," Claire said. She looked down at her other son and his significant other, who sat side-by-side on the floor, up against the wall. "I thought I'd never be one, just because Lily and Zieg won't get married."

"Mom, we'll get married," Zieg started.

"Eventually," Lily finished.

A shout came from the room, followed by the sound of other voices.

"I wonder what's going on," Meru said.

"Believe me Meru," Claire said. "Child birth is extremely painful."

Meru made a face when the next shout came. "I can wait to have kids."

The next shout was almost a scream, followed by Shana yelling, "It hurts!" This was accompanied by a loud stream of profanities from her. Meru's jaw dropped.

"I never knew Shana knew words like that," she said.

Lavitz chuckled at the thought of Albert's story.

"What?" Meru asked. "What's so funny?"

"Ask King Albert," Lavitz said with a smile.

"What?" Albert asked. "About when Emille had my son?"

Lavitz nodded.

Albert smiled. "Now that I look back on it, it's funny. It wasn't so funny at the time."

Loud voices saying indecipherable words emanated from the room. A moment later, a baby's cry sounded.

  


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To be continued...


	18. A New Life

The Legend of Dragoon: The Divine Blessings

--Written by: Naki

  
  
  
  


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Chapter 18 : A New Life

  
  


"I heard it!" Meru squealed happily. "I heard the baby cry!"

Claira smiled at her. "We all heard it."

"You're going to have to be quiet around the baby, Meru." Claire pointed out. "A baby's ears are very sensitive to loud noises." She smiled at a memory. "Back before Claira was born, back before Neet was destroyed, the twins were a handful. Although they're identical, their personalities weren't. They contradicted so much. Dart was quiet and preferred to keep to himself. Zieg, on the other hand, was loud and hyper. He was the kind of child who would was meaningless questions just to talk. The destruction of Neet didn't seem to faze his personality one bit. However, when I would ask him about Dart, he would ask me who Dart was. He completely forgot about his twin. After Claira was born, I practically had to toss him outside every time he wouldn't be quiet. He's so much different now that he's grown."

The door opened slowly and Dart emerged, shutting the door behind him. He carried in his arms an infant wrapped up in a blanket. He smiled at them.

"It's a girl!" He announced.

He hugged Claire and carefully handed her the baby. Albert, Lavitz, Haschel, and Zieg then bombarded him.

  


-- -- --

  


"Wow..." the high-pitched voice of Sun Raye squeaked from the arms of arms of Kurintsu as he landed gently on a dusty packed dirt road in Lohan. "Where are all the people?"

Kurintsu glanced around the deserted city. "I...I don't know."

Sun Raye looked up at him. "We have to find Dart and Matthias. They have to know what happened."

"I know, but..." he watched a fallen dead leaf cross the road on the wind. "There's no one here."

"Oh, there's people here, alright," Sun Raye climbed up onto Kurintsu's shoulder and stretched her wings. "I can smell them. Trust me."

"I believe you," Kurintsu placed a hand on the bandage on his head. It itched terribly. "Can you catch Dart's scent?"

"Umm...I can try..." Sun Raye hovered in mid-air, sniffing the breeze expectantly.

Kurinstu felt uneasy about the whole situation and kept looking around, feeling as if they were being watched by an unseen foe.

"Kurintsu!" Sun Raye's voice called from above. she sat on a windowsill, looked down at him. "I smell him here!"

He joined her and peered inside the window. "Who's that?"

"I don't know," she answered.

Kurintsu put his weight onto the windowsill.

Inside, Phoenix turned his attention to the window. "Uh...Shana..."

"Yes?" Shana looked up from the baby's crib.

Phoenix pointed a paw towards the window. "There's someone outside the window."

Outside, the windowsill couldn't hold Kurintsu's weight, and...you guessed it, it gave out. Simultaneously, Kurintsu grabbed the gutter above the window before he could fall, the windowsill completely broke off its base and fell to the ground below, _and_ Shana screamed (incredibly, not waking the baby!). The force of the windowsill breaking knocked the window open. Kurintsu felt the gutter creak under his weight.

"Hi," Kurintsu waved pathetically to Shana. "Don't mind me."

"Kurintsu," Sun Raye said, hovering next to him. "You're going to repeat the windowsill thing with the gutter if you don't get down."

"What do you expect me to do, Sun Raye?" Kurintsu asked with an incredulous look.

"You have wings, use 'em," Sun Raye replied.

Kurintsu ignored her and looked into the room. "Um...I hope I'm not imposing, but can I come in?"

Shana didn't know what to think. He seemed pretty harmless enough. "Okay...Just don't wake the baby."

"Thanks," Kurintsu swung his body, and propelled himself into the room. "I'm Kurintsu, I come from Mille Seseau. What's your name?"

"I'm Shana," Shana said. "Why were you peeking in my window?"

"Ask the flying rat over there," Kurintsu motioned over his shoulder.

"Hey!!" Sun Raye flew over to him and jumped on his head painfully. "I am _not_ a flying rat!"

"okay, okay, sorry," Kurintsu said, holding his head. Shana laughed. Sun Raye sat on the bed and Phoenix made his way over to her. They conversed quietly.

  


-- -- --

  


Shana and Kurintsu were still talking twenty minutes later. Kurintsu sat on the edge of the bed after feeling a bit dizzy due to his head injury. Shana promised to get it looked at by the doctor.

The door flew open and there stood Dart in the doorway, sans his obvious bright red armor. The tight black T-shirt conformed to his chest, defining all the muscles. He rested his left hand on his waist as he looked curiously at the scene inside the room.

"Shana...who?" He asked. Kurintsu turned his face towards Dart. Dart stared a moment before it hit him. "Kurintsu...what...?"

Kurintsu rose to his feet, wobbling just a bit. "Dart."

Dart crossed the space in between the two of them and gripped Kurintsu's hand tightly. He released Kurintsu's hand and motioned towards his head. "What happened to you? Why are you here?"

"One question at a time," Kurintsu said, fingering the bandage around his head. "Can I first get this taken care of before I get gangrene and die?"

Dart chuckled and glanced at Shana, who now held their baby daughter against her chest. "Sure, come on."

  


-- -- --

  


Kurintsu gritted his teeth togeter as the doctor dabbed the cut on the side of Kurintsu's head.

"Hold your hair back; I can't see the cut because your hair's in the way," the doctor instructed.

"Is it bad, Doctor Macalpine?" Shana asked. She sat on a bench across from Kurintsu on the examination table, nursing the baby.

"It'll need stitches," Dr. Macalpine said, squinting through his small spectacles that perched on the end of his thin nose.

"I forgot to ask," Kurintsu said, changing the subject as Dr. Macalpine moved across the room for a needle and thread. "What's the result?" He pointed at the baby Shana held.

Dart shared a smile with Shana. "It's a girl. Seven pounds and seven ounces. We named her Chandra Feld."

"Planning any others?" Kurintsu asked. His face scrunched up in pain as Dr. Macalpine cleaned the wound with rubbing alcohol. "Oww..."

"We can't have any others," Shana said quietly.

Kurintsu jerked his head twoards her and out of the grasp of the doctor, who made an impatient noise. "Why not?"

"There...was a problem during the delivery. She's not able to have any more kids." Dart said.

Kurintsu allowed Dr. Macalpine to steer his head back to staring at the wall. "I'm sorry."

"That's fate..." Dart said, almost to himself. Looking back at Kurintsu, he abruptly changed the subject. "Anyway, answer the questions from earlier."

Kurintsu stared at the wall with a blank look. "You really want to know? Well, I came all the way here to find you to tell you anyway. I can answer both questions with one answer. Not long after you left, Bane attacked the abbey again."

Dart froze.

"Let's just say it did become a snowdrift. It's leveled. Not a stone is standing. Some were killed. Lady Charle, who'd arrived just a day before, lead the Abbot and most of the Abbey dwellers through the basement tunnels out of the Abbey grounds. But..."

"What?" Dart pressed. Doctor Macalpine pierced Kurintsu's scalp with the sewing needle. Kurintsu grunted in pain, but made no other sounds as the doctor continued stitching up his scalp. Kurintsu's sky blue eyes clouded over in anger and acquired a redness that caused his irises to tint a slight shade of purple.

"There's more?" Dart asked.

"Of course, there's alway a stipulation," Kurintsu said tersely. "Erisi...agreed to go with Bane if he would spare the Abbey. She sacrificed herself to him to keep us safe. After taking her away, he turned his back on her nobleness and ordered the destruction of the Abbey. Lady Charle second-guessed him, and emptied the Abbey grounds. I have no idea if Erisi is even still alive. I shouldn't have allowed her to leave. No matter what the circumstances."

Dart remained silent. Words failed to convey his feelings.

"Umm..." Shana said quietly. "Shouldn't...we...tell the others?"

Over the next few minutes, silence reigned. It finally broke when the doctor snipped the thread with a pair of small scissors. Little Chandra cooed as she finished nursing.

Doctor Macalpine reapplied fresh gauze to Kurintsu's head.

"Now, no real strenuous activities, mister Kurintsu. I don't want you to pull the stitches."

"Yes sir," Kurintsu slid off the examination table with an air of relief. Dart motioned to him.

"Come on Kurintsu, we need to tell the others. Matthias...I'm not too sure how he'll react."

  


* * *

  


To be continued...


	19. Let the Secrets Be Known

The Legend of Dragoon: The Divine Blessings

--Written by: Naki

  
  
  
  


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Chapter 19 : Let the Secrets Be Known

  
  


_Matthias is taking this different from what I had expected..._ Kurintsu thought, sitting across the long wooden table from Matthias. Matthias had his head bowed, staring at his fists on the dark brown tabletop. _His face is totally blank; he's keeping it all inside._

Dart stood in a shadowed corner to the left of the table. He knew what Matthias was experiencing. He knew what it was like to lose a loved one.

Zieg approached Matthias. He went to lay a hand on Matthias' shoulder, but Dart stepped out of his shadowed corner and stopped him. Zieg looked to his brother; Dart's blue eyes warned him not to touch Matthias.

_"Matthias!" "Matthias, come on, Zieg wants you!" "Matthais, I'm not going to leave you alone until you kiss me!"_

Erisi's voice echoed around Matthias' mind. Images of her face surfaced in his mind. Minute memories once forgotten rose in his mind as if they were once grand occurrances. His thoughts were almost nonexistent. Every bit of his mind was focused on Erisi. Erisi as a young teenager and Erisi as a grown woman. Erisi the last time he saw her and Erisi as she might have been. Was she alive? Matthias' thoughts kicked in now. She must be alive, he had not sensed her spirit enter Mayfil. He felt a flicker of hope. A strange sense of foreboding drowned out that flicker. Had Erisi chosen a wrong path? Or was this foreboding coming from a path chosen forcefully for her by another being? The latter was what Matthias would bet on. He felt his first emotion in the last few minutes that felt like hours. Anger. Anger welled in him; he felt like he was going to burst.

Strangely, Kurintsu felt as if he could sense Matthias' inner turmoil. "Uh...Matthias?" Kurintsu's voice sounded strange and foreign in the dead silent room. His voice echoed as it bounced off of the quiet bodies standing amongst them.

"AHHHHHH!" Matthias jumped up and brought his fists over his head. He brought them smashing down onto the center of the table, breaking the table into two roughly equal halves. His copper eyes turned a fearful shade of red as he held his bloody fists slightly oud and his breathing was heavy and uncontrolled. His face was contorted in a way that could only be described as the look of anger that drove most men to kill. His breathing slwed down some, but his anger did not. A dead black light resonated at his chest; when it stopped, Matthias slipped down to his knees and hung his head.

"Erisi..." he whispered.

Kurintsu, who had jumped up just prior to when Matthias crushed the table, stood in front of him, looking curiously down at him. The curious look had not been aimed at Matthias; it had been at Kurintsu himself. He was experiencing instances tha the had never even fantasized as happening. He somehow _knew_ what Matthias was going to do. A door opened, causing him to turn. Deirdre stood in the doorway.

The look on her face matched Kurintsu's expression. She walked over to him; Kurintsu noticed something immediately as she crossed the room. The way she was walking. It was not her usual way; she was walking more like Erisi did. A princess-like fashion he once thought to be unique to the once beloved Abbey sister. Kurintsu watched as Deirdre walked past him and knelt down before Matthias. She placed a hand on Matthias' shoulder and spoke to him gently.

"Matthias...my friend, Erisi is alive."

"I know that."

"The why do you worry so? She will return to you in time although changed. I can see it."

Matthias' head jerked up. What was that he sensed? He looked into Deirdre's eyes and what he saw astounded him. Although he knew the girl in front of him was not his beloved, it was Deirdre, and in her he saw Erisi. Not Erisi the woman, but Erisi the child. Deirdre seemed to embody the memory of the caring fourteen-year-old princess Matthias first knew. How...?

Kurintsu sensed this as well. He harbored a secret that only he, Father Abbot, and Lady Charle knew. He doubted that Erisi knew. He leveled his gaze at Deirdre.

"Deirdre," he said, quiet but still loud. "There is something you must know."

Deirdre looked at him and stood. "What is it?"

"Father Abbot told me something that I should now tell you. You have every right to know." Kurintsu paused. "You're my sister."

This obviously shocked Deirdre, but only her eyes told that. "How...?"

"We're twins, separated at birth, so Father Abbot speculates. Being Winglies, we shared identical looks as infants. Only as we grew out of infancy, did we mature to be different. That is why we are both thinking along the same lines right now. Something is amiss."

"You sense it too, then. This strange power that has been bestowed upon us has me perplexed. Why us? From whom?" Deirdre asked; again, only her eyes could prove her confusion.

"Erisi."

Deirdre whirled about. The one word, the name, came from Matthias, who now stood amongst the broken timber of the table. Fierceness replaced the anger that was in his eyes and he made no sound as he pulled a four-and-a-half inch splinter out of the pinky-side of his left hand. He tossed the wood to the floor and stalked out of the room.

"I wonder where he's going," Lavitz commented casually, trying in a vain attempt to shatter the morbid mood that had descended upon them.

"He's going to find Lady Charle," Kurintsu explained. "Why he thinks it was Erisi is beyond me. But..." He turned to Lavitz, who stood next to Dart. "Lady Charle should be in Bale now. Her age does not slow her down one bit, you should know that Dart. She is rather fond of you, as she was with you father."

"But...why would she know anything about it?" Deirdre asked.

"Lady Charle came from the time of the Dragon Campaign. She knows much more about it then all of us put together." Kurintsu replied.

Zieg observed the room. "Then why don't we just go to Bale?"

Kurintsu looked to him. "It too is under martial law. No one is allowed in the city. But, then again," he glanced at Albert, who stood silently near a window, "with the King, that should be no problem."

"I have a bad feeling about this," Haschel piped up from behind Kurintsu.

"You and me both," Claira added. She ran her hand through her long black hair. "Who's controlling Bale?"

"Lady Charle and Queen Emille," Kurintsu answered. "The Humans are confined to their homes for the time being while the friendly Winglies roam the streets to protect the city."

"Friendly Winglies?" Shana asked.

"Friendly Winglies are the Winglies sympathetic to Humans," Claire answered. "To be more exact, they are Winglies who are loyal to Charle Frahma."

"Like Guaraha," Meru said.

"Yes, exactly," Claire nodded at Meru. "You would be considered a friendly Wingly, young Meru."

"Yeah, but I'm a Dragoon too," she said. "And Matthias, and Erisi are friendly Winglies..."

"Kurintsu, Deirdre..." Claira added.

"And all the Winglies who lived at the Abbey," Albert piped in. "Let's not forget those who are no longer among the living."

"Really," Meru said.

A door creaked open and Lily slid in. "Zieg, Matthias wants to know when we're leaving for Bale."

"Um..." Zieg hesitated. "I haven't really thought about it yet. We were just discussing it."

"Well, he said that if you don't plan on leaving in the next hour, he said he'd leave alone for the capital. It is my opinion that that could be disastrous." Lily admitted.

"I see what you mean," Zieg said.

"Go pack," Dart spoke up. "My team has only weapons and the clothes on their backs. All we'll need is provisions."

"Who said you're going?" Zieg asked.

"My team are the Dragoons. You never know what is on the road ahead. Now go pack." Dart answered.

"And who made you boss?" Zieg pressed with an air of defiance.

Dart leveled his gaze at his brother. "Years of seeking revenge on the parents I once thought dead. All the time I spent tracking what I once thought was a mere phantom. The many people I saw die. I have no idea how you've spent your life or what you've experienced in the past twenty-five years, but I have experienced a lot. I led seven brave people against a god. I am the leader. Any questions?"

Zieg opened his mouth to counter, but Claire shoved herself in between the twins. "Alright, no more fighting. Dart, you can be the leader. Zieg, don't provoke him any more, please."

Zieg glared at Dart and took a step back. He didn't like being shown up. Especially by someone who looked just like him.

  


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To be continued...


	20. Thoughts

The Legend of Dragoon: The Divine Blessings

--Written by: Naki

  
  
  
  


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Chapter 20 : Thoughts

  
  


The trail was long and dusty, even for late winter. Rain was a mere myth lately; the trail the group walked was as dry and crack as packed desert sand. Light brown dirt covered the soles of Dart's boots as he trudged on.

The temperature wasn't cold, nor was it hot. It wasn't even humid. To top itoff, there wasn't any wind at all. Clouds were a mere dream. Serdio had fallen into more than a drought; Serdio fell into a sort of doldrum. The sun beat down mercilessly, although it didn't give off heat, it temporarily blinded the travelers.

All the walking in these perverse kind of conditions took its toll on the travelers. All except Matthias he kept on, walking next to Dart.

Sometime shortly after noon, Dart stopped. He motioned for everyone else to do the same.

"I think it's time to stop and rest," Dart called out to everyone. They had long ago dispersed from their once compact state and were spread out along the road. Dart motioned to a forest not far from the road. "We can go there for shade."

Zieg was the first off the road. When no one else followed him, he turned and looked over his shoulder. "Well, come on. I think we all need a rest."

Dart gave an exasperated look to Matthias. "I think I think even less of my brother now."

Matthias smiled ruefully and clapped Dart on the back regardless of the bright red armor. "Ah, he's just fine. He's just not used to traveling so much like you and I are. Give him some time to adapt to your company." With that, Matthias jogged off to meet Zieg.

Dart glanced up to the uncovered sky. Hi silently wished for rain, though he knew his wish was to be ignored by whatever god was up there. When he leveled his head, he found that everyone had deserted him on the road. Shana waited for him on the side of the road.

Dart jogged over to meet her and slipped an arm about her shoulders as they walked together to the forest fringe. Dart glanced down at their baby, whom Shana carried in a sling that she had tied around her torso. Little Chandra slept cuddled up against her mother's chest.

He gently set Shana down on the cool grass and up against a wide oak trunk. Dart sat next to her and stared at his daughter. Chandra had her mother's brown hair, that much was obvious. However, she had Dart's nose and forehead, but Dart had a feeling she'll have her mother's cheekbones once she lost the baby fat from her face.

Chandra awoke silently, staring up at her parents. She gave her father a toothless smile characteristic to infants. Her striking blue eyes she got from her father.

Dart just stared down at his daughter, not even thinking about tearing his eyes away from her for anything. Anything, except, maybe, his wife pulling on his hair...

Haschel sat on an uneven stump not far from the mother and daughter pair, Claire and Claira. Claira sat still on the grass while her mother kneeled behind her, braiding Claira's hair. Haschel stared at Claire. There was something eerily familiar about her...something that reminded him of his rogue daughter, his own Claire. Their hair was cut in a similar fashion, although the Claire in front of him had streaks of gray hair starting from her roots. Their eyes were the same color and both of them looked like his late wife. But, Haschel shook his head slowly; his imagination and hope were running away with him again. There was a time that every time he saw a girl with black hair he thought it was his Claire. He chose to ignore the similarities.

Miranda, uncharacteristically quiet, stood near the edge of the trees, keeping a lookout. Despite her short temper and undying stubbornness, she had taken it upon her as the resident archer to keep a lookout while everyone else rested. She didn't want to be caught off guard by some monster or thief. Shifting slightly, her thoughts shifted from the road to Queen Theresa in the Crystal Palace. Miranda felt a sudden yet small pang of disappointment. She felt as if she had abandoned her post in Mille Seseau, but a short spurt of speech from behind her quelled that feeling. She knew she belonged with the others. She had no choice but to be. The White Silver Dragon had chosen her to bear its spirit. She had no choice.

Kongol's massive form sat beneath a tree about the size of a redwood and he stared at the ground with no real thoughts in his mind. This was usual for the lone Giganto, for he never really had much to think about. He never had anyone to think about, save his elder brother whom he idolized. His painted face made no move at all in his blank stare. He was disturbed from his stasis by a high pitched whiny voice not too far from him.

Meru sat on a wide branch on the tree next to Kongol. She laid down on the branch much like a wildcat, on her stomach with her head resting on her arm and with her other arm dangling off. She moaned frustratingly. Kongol angled his head up to her.

"What is the matter?" He said in his blunt voice.

Meru turned her head over to look down at him. "Why did Guaraha have to stay behind?"

"Dart say he had to watch over Lohan," Kongol said.

"I know that!" Meru said. "I just wanted him to come with us. I missed him while he was gone."

"You fancy him?" Kongol asked.

"Yeah, I guess," Meru blushed. "Yeah, I guess I do."

"Do not be embarrassed," Kongol said, a smile breaking his rough features. "It is natural."

Meru smiled timidly. "Thanks, Kongol. You're a pal."

"Pal?"

She laughed. "It means you're a friend."

"Friend..." Kongol turned his head away from the small Wingly with a thoughtful look on his face.

  


"Ow!"

"Oh, sit still baby."

Zieg winced as Lily ran her fingers through his long blonde hair. In her mouth she held a strip of cloth she uses sometimes to tie her own hair back. Looping the cloth strip underneath Zieg's hair, she tied it in a knot. Patting it after she was done, she leaned over his shoulder and kissed his cheek.

"There you go, love. You have a nice, neat ponytail."

Zieg made a face at her and touched the ponytail with a hand to inspect it for him.

Lily sat back and stared at her boyfriend's profile. What they had been through in the past year. Dragoons for a short time when Matthias had given them the spirits. Zieg has grown up some, but he needs to grow up some more. They'll start walking again soon, and Dart guesses that they'll be at Bale by nightfall.

"I've never been to Bale," Lily commented offhandedly.

"Neither have I," Zieg said, not turning to look at her.

"Are you made at me?"

"No."

"Then say something."

"Why?"

"Oh!" Lily shoved him playfully in the shoulder, and then stood up and walked off.

"Hey!" Zieg watched her go with a clueless look on his face. "What...? Did I miss something?"

  


Albert sat against a stump staring at the ground deep in thought. He thought mainly about Emille and their son Lavitz. He then thought about the safety of his country. This topic made him feel uneasy, because, strangely enough, was controlled by Winglies at this point in time. Winglies he was sure he could trust, mind you. He'd met Charle Frahma once in Ulara. But, that was two years ago. Then again, if she had remained the same for over eleven millennia, he doubted that the Wingly woman could've changed over a two-year period. Albert couldn't wait to get home.

  


Lavitz sat up against a large unidentifiable tree across from Dart and Shana, and neighboring Albert. His stomach growled almost painfully. Placing his hand on his stomach, he complained aloud.

"I'm hungry..."

WHACK!

"Ow!"

Albert looked alarmed. "What was that?" He looked over at Lavitz.

Lavitz rubbed his head with a contorted face. Opening his eyes, he found a red apple sitting next to his leg on the ground. "What?"

Laughter from above him caught his attention.

"Matthias..." Albert called. "You're evil."

"Matthias?" Lavitz looked up.

Matthias peeked down from his perch above Lavitz still laughing. "Hey, you said you were hungry! I thought I'd just give you a hand." In one hand, he held another red apple.

"You didn't just drop this apple," Lavitz accused. "You threw it down on my head!" A playful argument ensued with much laughter.

Across the way, Dart smiled to himself. His daugher smiled back at him as her tiny hands lightly patted against his cheeks. He had been to the trio not far from them. It sounded good to hear Matthias laugh.

  


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To be continued...


	21. Family Ties

The Legend of Dragoon: The Divine Blessings

--Written by: Naki

  
  
  
  


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Chapter 21 : Family Ties

  
  


The sky had darkened by late afternoon. The temperature had cooled significantly. The stars and single red moon were covered by dark, menacing clouds. A cool breeze blew by, causing shivers out of many. The breeze was short lived and lightning struck a tree not far off the road and flames erupted. A tremendous boom of thunder followed the brief light, shaking the very air.

Slowly, small dark dots appeared on the dry road. The dots began to appear more and more faster, and soon the road had completely changed color. Serdio was getting rain.

  


-- -- --

  


The torrential downpour came so fast it caught the troupe off guard.

Dart was surprised. "Where'd this rain come from?"

"The _sky_," Meru called sarcastically.

The rain made it even more difficult to see, but Dart distinctly heard a baby's frightened cry.

"Shana?" Dart called. He couldn't see his wife. "Shana!"

Albert also heard the baby cry near him. He placed a hand on Shana's shoulder, and found her kneeling down trying to keep her baby dry. In a flash, Albert released the clips that held his cape on and in one smooth motion, he slipped it over her shoulders to protect Chandra. Wordlessly, Albert helped Shana up.

"Dart!" Albert called; his eyes searching, but not finding. "Where are you?"

Thunder and lightning had another go, causing Chandra to cry again. A shadow came close to them and they saw it was Dart. His blonde hair matted to his head from the rain. Lavitz joined them and they huddled together.

"Bale isn't far," Lavitz said loudly. "If we run, we'll be there in five minutes."

"Okay," Dart replied, analyzing the situation in his head. "Shana, Albert, you two come with me. Lavitz, you get everyone together and meet us at the gate. Got that?"

Lavitz nodded. He headed off to find the others.

"Come on," Dart motioned to Shana and Albert.

-- -- --

"Where are they?" Dart called to Albert irritably. He held Shana to him, trying his best to shield her from the rain. Albert shrugged; he called back that he didn't see them.

Out of the rain came a large shadow; no doubt it was Matthias. Lavitz and the others followed him.

Matthias motioned to Dart to get out of the way. He looked up the dark wood of the closed gate and ran his hand up the seam where the two vast doors met. He balled his hand into a fist and slammed it into the seam. The doors flew open and banged hard into the walls opposite of them. The collisions caused vibrations so hard that the Wingly guards fell from their posts. They jumped up brandishing their weapons.

"Identify yourselves!" One Wingly guard said over the rain. "Friend or foe?"

Matthias just stared at them. Albert came up from behind him.

"We are friends. I am Albert, King of Serdio. We have returned for the time being to recuperate."

The Wingly guards exchanged questioning looks. They had never before seen the king of Serdio. How were they sure that he really was the king?

A Human soldier from the ranks of the Serdian Army had just finished his rounds feeding the Wingly soldiers. He recognized Albert despite the rain.

"King Albert!" The soldier exclaimed. The Wingly guards exchanged looks again; guess that settles it.

Two Wingly soldiers and the one Serdian soldier escorted the team to the castle. As they stepped into the foyer, pools of water formed at their feet from their drenched clothes.

"Woo!" Claira said, wringing out her hair. "Good thing I'm not wearing a white shirt!"

Meru giggled. Haschel shoved Claira lightly.

"Leave it to you to think of something like that."

Dart turned to the elder man. "What are you saying? You'd like it!"

Chuckles came through the foyer. Albert left the group, his wet boots squeaked on the tile flooring. He returned with his wife and Charle Frahma.

"Oh my," Charle said. "You...are soaked."

"I'll get you assistance," Emille turned and left the foyer. Maids returned with her to assist the group. Dart approached Charle.

"Oh! You haven't changed a bit," Charle gushed. "You still look like Zieggy."

Zieg laughed. "Zieggy?"

Charle looked over at him and her face showed her surprise. "What...?" She paused as Zieg walked up beside Dart, his hair mashed agaist his forehead just like Dart's. "You look just like Dart!"

"I'm his elder twin," Zieg replied. "Named after my father."

"Zieg."

"Yep." Zieg turned to Claire, who was helping Claira dry her hair. "Hey mom. I've been wondering. How much older am I than Dart?"

Claire stopped what she was doing and thought for a moment. "Three minutes."

"Whoa. Three minutes." Lavitz mocked.

"Hey, it's something." Zieg shrugged.

Crying rang out from across the foyer, where Shana sat on the stone steps leading upstairs. The crying came haltingly and Shana looked worried. Deirdre sat with her, also looking worried.

"Shana, I think something's wrong," Deirdre said.

"I know!" Shana fretted.

"Do you think she's sick?"

"I hope not!" Shana said. "But she won't stop crying!"

Dart felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to find Kurintsu standing there.

"Dart, go tend to your baby." Kurintsu said flatly.

"What?" Dart turned to see Shana and Deirdre and the crying baby. "Chandra!"

  


-- -- --

  


"She's sick, there's no question about that."

"Sick with what?"

"The common cold. She was caught out in that rain for too long," the doctor said. "After a few days, she should be getting better." He started to pack his doctor's paraphernalia back into his black physician's bag.

Dart rose from his seat, walked around the crib and rubbed Shana's shoulders. "Come on, get some sleep."

"I'm not going to sleep until she's better," Shana said, rubbing her red eyes. "I won't be able to go to sleep until she's better."

"You're going to make yourself sick if you don't sleep," Dart persisted. "I don't want to take care of two."

Shana stayed put and quiet. Dart slipped his hands under her arms and pulled her up and led her over to the bed that had been prepared for them. He gently laid her down onto the dark red sheets and pulled the covers up over her. She was out like a light in just seconds.

Dart took one last look at the sleeping baby before joining Shana in bed.

  


-- -- --

  


Shana's eyes snapped open from her deep sleep at the sound of a baby's cry. It was a strained cry; but Shana had no idea that she slept through the first ten minutes of little Chandra's crying. She rolled over onto her side, but found the opposite side empty. Sitting up, she saw Dart sitting on the chair next to the crib. He eased a glass baby bottle filled with water to Chandra and she eagerly accepted it.

Shana just sat there and watched it all. Hadn't the doctor mentioned something about her having a fever? At least Dart knew what to do about fevers.

Chandra finished the bottle; Shana noted the fact that the diaper was going to have to be changed sometime before sunrise. Dart set the bottle down on a table nearby and gently rocked the baby in his arms. It first came out a bit gruff, but as Dart recalled the soft lyrics, he sang the lullaby his mothing used to sing to him as a child and as an infant. Shana mouthed the words as the song progressed. She silently berated herself. Why hadn't she sung this to her baby yet? It never occurred to her. Leave it to Dart to remember it.

Dart went through the lullaby several times before he was satisfied that Chandra was asleep. He gently laid his daughter back into her crib.

  


-- -- --

  


Claire stood silently outside the bedroom door that was cracked open just slightly. She listened as Dart tended to his baby and then sany her the lullaby. Claire smiled softly; she had taught him that lullaby. She whispered the words quietly to herself.

"That's how I knew."

Claire turned, hiding her surprise. Haschel stood before her.

"What?" She asked.

"That's how I knew." Haschel repeated. "I spent twenty years of my life searching for my daughter who ran off. It was all my fault. I was too hard on her and I drove her away. She was all I had, ever since her mother passed away. And I drove her away."

Claire remained silent. A picture of recollection passed over her face.

"I thought she was gone." Haschel continued. "I thought everything she had been and could have passed on was gone. Until one day, I met a young man named Dart. We knew each other for a while, but we were separated. We met up again a couple of years later, during a tournament in Lohan. As time passed, we shared knowledge with each other and I found out his mother shared the same name with my runaway daughter. I always felt like there was some sort of connection between the two ofus, no matter how vague or bizarre the connection might be. I stayed with the growing group as the Violet Dragoon. I finally figured out the connection when..." he paused, taking a breath. "We were in Fueno, a port town on the coast, the Mille Seseau-Tiberoa border, of Mille Seseau. After saving the twon from a strange incident involving some kid and his suddenly mutated pet tiger cub, the mayor invited us to stay at his house to repay us for saving the town.

"The mayor was a widower, and had a small daughter. His daughter warmed up to Shana and followed her around like her shadow. Later, as Shana was putting her to bed, she sang a lullaby to lull her to sleep. I recognized the lullaby; my daughter had written it while she was young. I asked Shana about it, and she told me that Dart had taught it to her when she was little. Now I saw the connection. Now that I see it today..." he paused again, this itme looking her straight in the eye. "You haven't changed a bit, Claire."

Claire's face remained straight. "I still haven't forgotten those harsh words and I still haven't forgiven you. That's why I haven't said anything."

"I realized my fault not long after the incident with Lottie. I have forgiven you, I know your heart has never been fully into the Martial Arts. After two years, I realized that you weren't coming back so I set out to find you. Twenty-five years later, here I come to find you, as part of hte very group I am in. And I come to find," he motioned to the bedroom door, "that I am a great-grandfather."

Claire smiled. "I always thought I'd be an old woman when I had grandchildren, simply because Zieg just won't propose to Lily and I thought Dart to be dead. That Chandra's going to be spoilt rotten because she's an only child and will remain the only child."

Haschel looked puzzled. "Why?"

"You haven't heard?"

"No. What is it?"

"There were problems during the delivery. Dart speculated that it was because Shana's what they called the 'Moon Child' and he's afraid that Chandra will be special like her mother in ways dealing with _The Moon That Never Sets_. Dart didn't elaborate about the problems during the delivery, but I assumed, by the tone of his voice, that he almost lost Shana and the baby. I think he was almost relieved when the doctor said she couldn't have anymore children. He won't have to go through almost losing Shana again through labor."

Haschel nodded. "I understand. That's what happened with your mother."

"What?" Claire asked. She had never been told of what had become of her mother. Well, not exactly. She knew that she had died while Claire had been a baby.

"Your mother had what I thought was a decent pregnancy. There had been a few minor problems, but the doctor said not to get worked up over it. Then came the time for you to come. She...died during the labor. The doctor swore for years that it was a miracle for you to have survived. You were all that I had."

Claire remained silent contemplating this new information.

"I had planned to tell you, but I didn't know how to word it. You ran off before I could figure it out."

"What time is it?" Claire asked suddenly.

"Um...sometime around two," Haschel answered.

Claire stared off out a window built into the side of the stone corridor. "It's time for me to sleep." She started to walk away. "Good night."

Haschel turned to her. "Aren't you going to call me it?"

Claire stopped, but did not turn around. "Call you what?" She needn't have asked that question; she already knew what he was implying.

"Dad," Haschel answered with a small hint of hope in his voice.

Claire stood there for a moment before replying. "I still haven't forgiven you for those cruel words all those years ago. I will decide when I will call you that." Without another word, she walked off, disappeared down the dark corridor.

  


-- -- --

  


The baby was crying again. Shana woke up this time in a grumpy state of mind. She sat up in the bed, brushing her hair from her face. The room was dark, and Chandra was screaming in the crib. Shana felt for Dart, but he wasn't in the bed. She muttered to herself under her breath, and started to get up.

The door opened suddenly, and a person rushed into the room. A glass bottle clunked against the wood table by the crib.

"Shh...it's okay, Chani, daddy's here."

Shana smiled to herself in the dark. She reached over to the nightstand besides her and turned on the oil lamp, suddenly illuminating the room. "Chani?"

Dart turned and looked at her. There were dark circles under his eyes. He said nothing and sat down in the chair next to the crib as Chandra sucked eagerly at another water-filled bottle. Her tiny face was red and her eyes were closed.

Shana got up. "You need your sleep Dart. I'll take care of it."

"No, it's okay," Dart looked up at her with tired blue eyes. Chandra squirmed as she pulled away from the bottle and let out another cry. "Now what's wrong?"

"She probably has a wet diaper," Shana said. She took the baby from Dart. "I'll change her."

She laid the baby on the bed and proceeded in taking off the wet cloth diaper that was wrapped around her child. Chandra stopped crying as the feeling of wetness left with the diaper. Shana smiled down at her.

"Goodness, with all that water you drank, no wonder you had to go!"

She handed the dirty diaper to Dart, who gave her a clean one in return. After securing the diaper in place with pins, Shana leaned down and kissed Chandra on the forehead. Chandra cooed as her mother picked her up.

Shana carefully laid her baby into the crib and stood looking over her. She laid her hand on the crib's side. Dart came up behind her.

"She's an angel," Dart whispered.

"Yeah," Shana replied. "It's been rough since she was born, though. It's been hard to get a decent amount of sleep."

"I know the feeling," Dart confessed. His arms encircled her waist from behind and he rested his cheek on top of her head. "I love you."

Shana smiled to herself. "I love you too."

Dart turned her around and kissed her gently. Shana broke off the kiss and looked up into Dart's eyes. "I think it's time to go back to bed. Before dawn."

Dart smirked. "Good point."

  


-- -- --

  


Meru came walking into the dining room stretching. She had slept late; everyone was already eating. Shana sat at the far end of the table, next to Dart. She was nursing Chandra, with a small blanket draped over one shoulder, partially covering the baby.

Meru spied an empty seat next to Claira and grabbed it.

"Sleeping late?" Claira asked.

"Yeah," Meru muttered.

Meru remained silent throughout breakfast. Claire, who was sitting across from Claira, was also quiet with a thoughtful look on her face.

After breakfast, Matthias cornered Charle and they met Albert and Dart in Albert's study.

Miranda watched them go. "I wonder what they'll talk about?"

Shana shrugged. "I don't know."

The four didn't stay in the study for very long. A few minutes at most. Charle emerged with a grave face, but the curious looks of Albert and Dart suggested that nothing had been revealed yet. Albert motioned towards the others.

"Let's go outside. It's far more spacious than in here," Albert said, his voice sounding anxious.

The entire group emptied outside into the small garden behind the castle. They all grouped together: Emille, Albert, Dart, Shana, Chandra, Lavitz, Deirdre, Miranda, Kurintsu, Kongol, Claira, Claire, Haschel, Zieg, Lily and Meru sat in a good sized grass law in the middle of the garden.

"What's this about?" Meru asked. Chale stood in front of them, her skirt swaying in the slight breeze. Matthias stood not far off to her left.

"I have a few things to tell you about," Charle started. "Most of the things I am about to tell you pertain to Dragon Mythology and have not been spoken of in eleven millennia..."

  


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To be continued...


	22. Interwoven Stories

The Legend of Dragoon: The Divine Blessings

--Written by: Naki

  
  
  
  


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Chapter 22 : Interwoven Stories

  
  


"They have been thought of though," Matthias said in a quiet voice. "Many, many times over."

Charle glanced over at her long time friend. "Yes, my friend. Many times I myself have thought of this very matter. Forgive me if I stumble through this, I'm not too sure how to put this into words."

"That's all right," Albert said softly. "Go ahead at your own pace. We have plenty of time, Lady Charle."

Charle nodded at Albert before turning to encompass the whole group in her sight. "No one knows when the Dragon Prophecy was written, but very few believed it before the Dragon Campaign came to be. Many Winglies of court thought the prophecy was ridiculous and not to be believed. They believed that some crazy old man wrote it and tried to make people believe it. And they thought the ones who believed it were just as crazy as the old man believed to have written it. 'Ridiculous.' 'Unbelievable.' 'Time waster.' People called it many things, but didn't want to believe it. The prophecy stated that those who are being controlled would rebel in a grand war using the power borrowed from great beasts. The Winglies, I am embarrassed and ashamed to say, were so arrogant in thinking that they were unstoppable and were so drunken in self-pride to think that the pitiful Humans, Giganto, and Minito weren't strong enough to overthrow the great Wingly race."

The only sounds at this pause were birds singing and faint voices coming from the background. Charle took a deep breath before continuing.

"The Minito were wiped out not long before the Dragon Campaign in the Gladiator-style games that took place in the Royal Capital Kadessa. This genocide angered the Humans and Giganto alike, and together they formed a secret society. The society soon grew into a small empire and the Humans elected a man named Diaz to lead them. Initially, Diaz didn't want to lead it; he felt incompetent and not worthy of the leadership. It took about a month to convince him to become Emperor. He was Emperor in title only. Diaz was like a father figure to those who, in the future, became the Dragoons. Diaz studied the prophecy and mythology with a passion, and it was he who discovered the ability of the Humans to control the Dragons. He personally handpicked the six Humans to inherit the power of the Dragons and also included one Giganto to keep the society complete. Originally a guerilla force, the seven Dragoons would strike from hidden places. The rebellion came to a screeching halt when Zieg, the leader of the Dragoons was captured. I visited him down in the dungeons of the castle and was astounded by the way he was always optimistic and never pessimistic about anything. Pain was something not foreign to him, so he said. I was amazed by the way he was polite to me even after he found out that Melbu Frahma was my baby brother and, breaking my bond with the Wingly Court, I secretly helped him escape. My brother never found me out. Not long later, Princess Erisi, the youngest of the Royal Wingly Family, wandered away from the Crystal Palace and met the Dragoons. She too decided to help out. She was in a more precarious position than I was, because she was betrothed to my baby brother. He was insistent on always keeping her under his care and always having her by his side. I convinced him to let her have breathing space, so she could become more comfortable with him in her life. He agreed, having most of his waking time engrossed with the mystery of the evasive Dragoons."

"They couldn't find 'em," Matthias added with a smirk. "They couldn't find _us_."

"That's true," Charle nodded. "Not too long after the Dragoons made themselves know, Erisi would disappear from the palace for days at a time. Even Melbu figured this out during his time out of study. He would confront her at times, demanding where she was. Most of the time she would smile and say that she was busy with other matters and for him not to worry. After that, she would come to me saying how much she hated him. I knew better; her heart belonged to someone else. AFter being told she was to be married the next day, she ran off and even I did not know where she went to."

"A month past from when I last saw Zieg and the others," Matthias broke in. "I was suddenly overcome with a drive to wander. Eventually, I came across the broken and dying body of a dragon who had been attacked by Winglies. It was then the dragon bequeathed to me its spirit before it died and I realized my fate was not to live, but to fight and represent something that was not physical of this world, but spiritual. Death is something not foreign to any of us, but it is something that you cannot see and cannot touch. Sure, you can touch a dead thing and you can touch a live thing, but you cannot see or touch death and life. To me it seemed that I and the Daughter were the physical representations of death and life."

"I was in a village within the empire of St. Imperial Gloriano with all seven of the Dragoons the night it happened," Charle continued after Matthias finished, "the village was attacked by a platoon of Wingly soldiers. It was a desperate situation..."

  
  


_Fear was in the very air, weighing it down, thickening it up, making it even harder to breathe. People screamed and ran through the streets, attempting in vain to get away from the perpetrators. Winglies flew in from all directions, laughing insanely and cowardly attacking Human men, women, and children from behind. Swords, spears, daggers, and other articles of weaponry were tinted and dripped red with the blood of the slain._

The seven warriors chosen as the seven Dragoons stood in the Town Square, circling the decrepit stone fountain. Their feet were spread apart on the cobblestone pavement and their weapons, also stained red, this time with Wingly blood, wavered tiredly in their hands.

The flickering light from the burning houses that surrounded the Square reflected off the beads of sweat that dripped from the foreheads of the seven. The sweat not only came from the heat from the fires and the humidity of the climate; their nervousness caused them to sweat too. The Winglies could come from any direction with no warning but a sudden whoosh and no time to react.

The Winglies began to close in on the Square and the nervousness of the seven grew. There was no way they could work up enough energy to become the Dragoons before they were completely surrounded.

Rose gripped her rapier in her left hand and dropped it to her side as she used her shaky right hand to wipe the sweat from her face. As she dropped that hand to her side, Zieg reached over and gripped it with his left hand. They exchanged a glance, his blue eyes attempting to calm her troubled blue eyes. He leaned over and kissed her as he whispered how he loved her.

A scream rang out near them and Rose lifted her eyes just in time to see her sister run towards them, hugging her infant daughter to her chest. Her foot caught on a raised cobblestone and she tripped. She whirled about to see a Wingly hover above her, sword raised to strike. Rose lunged forward, calling to her sister. Zieg reached out and caught Rose, stopping her. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Rose watched in surprise rather than in horror as a strong pair of arms gripped the body of the Wingly before he could strike and threw him into a neighboring building with the force equal to that of an explosion.

The arms belonged to a muscular young man with black hair. His race was indistinguishable at the time; he looked from Rose's sister to Rose, at whom he smiled.

Zieg turned around at the feeling of a soft hand on his tired arm. There stood a young woman with long white hair and a shapely short body. Her crystal blue eyes gazed up at him with loving recognition. She moved her gaze from Zieg to the strange man with black hair.

"It's time to finish this," she said, her quiet soft voice cutting through the sounds of carnage around them like a hot knife through butter.

"I agree," his rough voice replied.

Power spun around both of them, encircling her in a burst of white light, while he was encompassed with a darkness that was darker than the fear of the village. The power faded and revealed two Dragoons. The female's armor was a silvery white that was styled similar to that of the Blue Sea Dragoon's armor and she was armed with a wide-bladed crystal sword. The male's armor was black and styled somewhat similar to that of Red-Eye Dragoon's armor and he was armed with a double-bladed scythe.

The female releaded her grip on her sword and it floated in front of her, its point facing the ground. Energy surrounded her and kicked her hair up away from her face as she held her hands just inches apart from each other in front of her. Sparkling specks fell from the sky like shooting stars that cleansed and healed the seven and the wounded Humands lying in the streets.

The energy faded from around her as she regained her grip on the handle of her magnificent sword. She turned her head to her male counterpart. He nodded gravely.

"Do what you must," she said. "Though I realize how it will hurt."

Dark energy swirled about him and diffused into his double-bladed scythe. He gripped the long rod of the scythe in both bands and brough it back with both arms completely extended. Taking a deep breath, he slammed the end opposite of the blades into the cobblestone pavement. In a heartbeat, a morbid black fog crawled out of the ground, creeping up into the air and into the bodies of the opposing Winglies. The black fog invaded their bodies; those in the air choked and gagged as they plummeted to the ground. The Winglies dropped like flies, though with their vast numbers it took several minutes to kill them off.

Zieg was amazed at both the powers of the pair and the way the Winglies died so fast. He looked to the female; her face was streaked with tears due to the internal battle she had to fight. Death went against everything she was, but it had to be done.

As the last Wingly fell to the ground dead, suffocated by the black fog that blocked his airway, the male turned to the other.

"There...it is done."

Her face was grim. "The battle is over, but not the war."

Power surrounded both of them, and they returned to their original states.

Zieg found his voice. "Who...what are you?"

The female turned to him after coming to her partner's side. "We are what the prophecy foretells. We are the children chosen to bear the spirits of the children of the Divine Dragon. We represent life and death, the fragile axis on which existence turns. We are Erisi and Matthias."

  
  


"_Erisi_ is the Divine Daughter?" Dart asked.

Matthias ran a hand through his dark hair. "Yes. And now she is in the hands of the enemy. She lost her powers that were given to her and now those powers have moved on to her 'children' so to say."

"Children?" Kurintsu asked, sharing a glance with Deirdre.

"Yes," Charle answered. So much was being divulged now; she wasn't used to telling so much she had secreted away in her mind for so long. "It is written in prophecy that those who live long periods, as in millennia, will have their consciousness' reborn into others. So, it's like living long enough to trick fate into thinking you're dad and into rebirthing you. Think of it as reincarnation before you die. Kurintsu and Deirdre are Erisi's. And, though it is difficult to tell," she paused, gazing from one brother to the other, "right now I think Dart is Zieg Sr.'s."

"There was one stipulation to Erisi's power," Matthias started. "She's the stronger of the two of us. If she had gone against the Dragoons, she would have lost her ability to become a Dragoon and lost all the power that had come with it. That means..." Matthias stopped suddenly, the weight of the situation dawning on him. "Charle...she's aging."

Charle stared back at him. "How long has she been under they're control?"

Matthias shrugged. "I don't know. How fast will she age?"

"Like any normal Wingly or Human would," Charle answered. "Zieg was frozen in stone for about eleven millennia, and when he was released from it, he aged normally."

"Yeah, but he wasn't alive for that time," Matthias pointed out. "Erisi found him when the spell wore off. She said he thought it was right after the fall of Kadessa. When he inquired about Rose, she couldn't tell him what she had become.

"I know," Charle whispered, staring at the ground. "She told me too. She said she forced herself to look morose as she told him that eleven thousand years had passed since the final battle of the Dragon Campaign and she comforted him when he realized that he had to start over from square one. Not long after, he met a young woman named Claire." Charle smiled at Claire who sat between her sons. "And we see the result of that among us today."

"Zieg was a charmer," Claire smirked. "He had me hooked the first day I met him." She paused, but continued when she saw the probing looks from all three of her children. "Uh...geez, where to start? I met Zieg about two weeks after leaving home. I was walking through the outskirts of Deningrad, looking for work and a place to stay, when five mean-looking young men jumped me. They wanted more than food or money from me that's for sure. I doubted my chances with odds like that. I wasn't sure what I was going to do, and then someone tapped the man in front of me on the shoulder. As the man turned around, Zieg Feld came into my life by punching that man in the face and breaking his nose. Then he said, 'You guys don't know how to treat a lady.' He bent down and scooped up his sword and brandished it, saying to the other men, 'Who's next?'"

"Geez, mom, you never told us how you met dad," Zieg Jr. complained.

"Sorry, you never asked," Claire smiled.

Deirdre looked to Matthias. "How did you meet Erisi?"

"I was with Zieg and Kantas. Kantas was the first Violet Dragoon and had a short fuse. I saw her hiding amonst the prairie grass outside a village in the empire of St. Imperial Gloriano. I approached her, we introduced ourselves, and after she decided to join our cause, we...fell in love. Since we became what we are now, Erisi's personality has changed since we first met." He looked at the twins. "That is why you twins now exist. Erisi's personality and state of mind totally changed from when she was princess to when she was Divine Daughter. When she was princess, she was fragile and innocent. That's the Erisi you represent, Deirdre. When she became the Divine Daughter, she was not so innocent and had more of a drive to fight. That's the Erisi you represent, Kurintsu."

Kurintsu started at the ground, attempting to digest the sudden onslaught of information. After a few moments, he looked up at Matthias, his eyes bright with determination. "Then we must get her back."

"Yes, we must. I cannot reawaken as the Divine Son without her," Matthias said.

  


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To be continued...


	23. The Battle of Indels Castle

The Legend of Dragoon: The Divine Blessings

--Written by: Naki

  
  
  
  


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Chapter 23 : The Battle of Indels Castle

  
  


"My lord, is it wise to continue with that course of action?"

Bane looked up from his magical map. He had just finished explaining his recent plan and expected to have no kinks in the works. He looked to the one who had just spoken and merely smiled. "Then speak, my princess. I value your thoughts."

The smaller woman opposite him met his stare. "It is extremely risky. Many times over attacking a city with all the Dragoons has proved suicidal to many Winglies." Her blue eyes appeared ghostly dark and sunken; her long silvery platinum hair was braided down her back and her bangs hung to the sides of her face. "And to take the Child and her daughter..."

"My princess, I am suprised at you. I believed you like taking risks." Bane coaxed.

"I like taking risks that don't sacrifice useful Winglies!" She snapped. Bane took a step back from his magical map. "You know as well as I do that Humans outnumber us at least fifty to one! Don't cause genocide to the one race you are attempting to preserve!"

"Very well. Do you have another idea?" Bane asked, his anger rising. "Perhaps a better one?"

"I do." She said, motioning with her hand to both Repard and Blian. "Use these two as diversions while I sneak inside and take the target."

"Bait...I do like the idea," Bane rubbed his chin. "My princess, you are brilliant! I hadn't thought of that." He turned to Repard and Blian. "That's just what we'll do. Repard, Blian, you will attack the city from the north..." he waved his hand over the map and the map glowed green as it adjusted swiftly to contour to his new plan. "Then the princess will come in and take the target with minimal resistance."

"That is understood, sir," Repard saluted smartly. Blian followed suit.

"Good. Dismissed."

Blian and Repard left the chamber.

Bane leaned to the princess, stroking her chin with his fingertips. "Though I truly adore your plan for taking the Child and Moon-daughter, I shudder to think I could loose you to those fiends..."

"You mustn't worry about me," the princess smirked smugly. "If by chance I find myself in a tight corner," she raised her hand to his stomach and it began to glow, "I'll just blow my way through."

Pleased, Bane straightened. The princess made to leave.

"My princess," Bane called, stopping her. She turned to see him smile. Not this again. "If you could, my chambers, tonight?"

The princess, her face blank, said nothing as she turned and walked through the door, shutting it behind her.

"Come, Demeter," she snapped, calling her new lady-in-waiting to her side.

"Yes, my lady," Demeter followed her.

The princess stopped abruptly and stared into space. "You know what, I think I'll give you a new name. How about," she turned around to face Demeter, "Rindeseyu?"

"If it suits you, then I like it."

"Very well, your name is now Rindeseyu." The princess turned about again and continued walking down the corridor. _Why did I just name her that?_

_"Get out..._ A voice whispered through her head, causing her to stop. Was that just her imagination due to her frustration with Bane? The voice had a feminine youthful quality to it, as if a voice of a young adult. The princess dismissed it and took a step back down the corridor. The voice returned, more insistent, making the princess rethink her dismissal. _"Get out...!"_

"What?" The princess asked aloud, halting again.

"My lady?" Rindeseyu asked, coming to her princess' side.

_"I said get out! You do not belong here!"_

"What do you mean! I _do_ belong here! This is my home!"

_"Get out! This is _my_ body! It is not yours!"_

"What!" The princess felt uncontrollable panic rising in her. _Am I going insane?_

_"How can you possibly go insane when this is not your body, not your mind? It is my body and my mind! You are not Erisi, I am, so GET OUT!!"_

The princess clapped her hands to the sides of her head and screamed as she fell to her knees and slumped over.

  


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The plan moved into action. Every Wingly was cloaked using Wingly Magic and hovered about the city, awaiting the next command. The army was thin, but it spread out over the city, leaving a large circumference around the area of Indels Castle.

  


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Matthias walked slowly down the stairs inside the castle. A feeling of uneasiness had settled into his stomach since he woke this morning. Since waking, he wandered about the castle's corridors in a daze, lost in the labyrinth of his mind. He had been like this since he briefly felt Erisi a few days ago. He marched outside and the sunlight broke through his personal prison and woke him up consciously. Standing on the steps to the back exit of the castle, Matthias gazed at the scene below. Everyone was outside; it was a fine day. There were clumps of people in different areas of the garden, talking quietly. The only loud sounds came from Claira and Meru as they chased each other through the giant hedge maze to the north.

He observed one group in particular. It consisted of Dart, Lavitz, Deirdre, Kurintsu, and Albert.

He descended one step and he felt it. He stopped suddnely, feeling the air. It was thicker here, more humid, one step down. It was moister than one step up. But, that's ridiculous! The weather doesn't work that way... Matthias looked up towards the sky and raised an open hand, palm facing the heavens. He looked at his hand and rubbed his fingertips together. _Weather may not work that way,_ Matthais thought, looking up again. _But Wingly Magic does!_

Kurintsu caught that train of thought, and looking at Matthias, he stood up suddenly, cutting Dart off in mid sentence. "Albert," he said, not taking his eyes off Matthias, "collect your troops. An invasion is at hand."

"What? Where?" Albert stood.

Kurintsu turned his head, his eyes serious. He pointed up. "There."

"Where?" Dart said, looking up as he stood. "I see nothing."

"Remember what I told you about Crystal Tracks?" Kurintsu asked.

"Yeah," Dart said. Deirdre stood and looked skyward as well.

"Can you not feel it?" Kurintsu asked.

Albert gasped as the answer came to him. "The air! It is much more humid than it normally should be! The Wingly Magic is again creating condensation, but instead of revealing itself in Crystal Tracks it is creating humidity for those earthbound."

"Precisely!" Kurintsu responded. "And they think we're to be surprise attacked. They must be more cautious."

"How can we attack something we can't see?" Dart asked.

Kurintsu smirked. "A resonating Dragoon Spirit reveals the condensation track to each and every Wingly. Use that to your advantage and let's get prepped for war."

Claira and Meru came running out of the hedge maze laughing but their laughter died when they saw the looks on the others' faces. Claira slowly pulled a few strands of her hair away from where it was caught in the corner of her mouth.

"Hey guys," Meru said, with an attempted laugh. "What gives?"

"Arm yourselves!" Kurintsu snapped.

"What?" Claira asked. Just then, Matthias came tearing down the back steps and behind Claira. He seemed to make contact with something because of the "oof" before he hit the ground.

"You can't hide forever!" Matthias snarled and caused his Spirit to resonate at his chest. When the light died down, a Wingly was revealed writhing under Matthias' iron grip around his neck. The Wingly gasped for air but was cut off when Matthias tightened his grip. The Wingly struggled momentarily and fell still.

Not missing a beat, Matthias jumped to his feet and into the air. With a battle cry the Spirit resonated once again, this time much longer, exposing the rough outlines of many Winglies.

To escape Matthias, many Winglies dropped down to the ground, only to be met by sword, spear and hammer.

One Wingly soldier set his sight on Deirdre. Unarmed, the only thing Deirdre could do was run away. She ran into the hedge maze in an attempt to get away from her pursuer. Angered, Kurintsu, though unarmed, followed in hot pursuit. Deirdre turned sharp corners in a haphazard fashion and she lost count quickly. Turning right suddenly, she screeched to a halt. She found herself facing a dead end. Whirling about, her face scrunched in despair as the Wingly approached her, brandishing a sharp double-edged dagger in one hand.

"Don't be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you," the soldier said to her, though his eyes said otherwise.

"Somehow I don't believe you," Deirdre said with a hint of sarcasm dancing on her voice.

"Then I'll show you," the soldier took a step forward. Deirdre attempted to get away, but he caught her arm and threw her on the ground. She struggled to get away as he pinned her to the ground and screamed when he put his hands in places they shouldn't have went. She continued to struggle and scream and not even the movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention.

Tears streamed down her face as the Wingly soldier attempted to pull down her dress and hold her down at the same time. As she struggled, she wiggled her leg free from his grip and brought it up into his crotch.

The soldier screamed in pain, but before he could double over, the thick part of a fallen brach swung through the air and clobbered the soldier in the head. The Wingly fell over and was still. Through her sobs, Deirdre pulled herself to a sitting position. She stared up at the person who saved her.

Kurintsu owned the hand that gripped the now bloody branch. He dropped the branch on the ground and rushed to her side. He slid his arms around her and cradled her against him as she cried into his shoulder. He gently slid both of them into a shadowed corner to hide them from the other Winglies.

Outside the maze, the battle was as chaotic as butterflies in a whirlwind. Everyone was moving so quickly that everything was almost a blur. Dart fought valiantly, even though the cut on his brow bled down into his eye, stinging horribly and somewhat blinding him. He took a vital second to pause and wipe his eye and failed to notice the Wingly that came up behind him. The Wingly raised his blade and drove it through Dart's shoulder. Dart cried out in pain and collapsed onto the ground.

"Dart!!" Lavitz charged over, slaying the Wingly on the spot. He dropped his spear on the ground and shook Dart. He got no response. Observing the pool of blood on the ground, Lavitz ripped his shirt off and held it onto Dart's shoulder and put his full weight onto it. Dart's face turned pale as snow and this scared Lavitz.

"Damn it, Dart, don't die on me!" Lavitz cried, pressing harder and harder on Dart's shoulder.

Matthias came from nowhere and tackled another Wingly that tried to jump Lavitz from behind.

A small woman chuckled as she watched the battle with her red eyes. She turned on her heels and walked inside the castle, towards her intended target. With a hand she motioned for two large male Winglies to follow her inside. They did as she bid with no hesitation.

She navigated the castle without fault, finding the room where the Child and Moon-daughter were fast asleep. She nodded to the mother and she walked over to the crib and sneered down at the sleeping infant. What a disgusting creature. Humans. She turned to the second male.

"Take the child. Carefully!" She added, as she turned to walk out. Followed by the male Winglies, she reached the main doors.

"Who are you? What are you doing?"

She turned as Queen Emille ran towards them. The Queen noticed the unconscious Shana draped over one Wingly's shoulder and the baby held by the other. Despite the glowing red eyes, the Queen recognized the smaller woman. "How could you do this to us, Erisi! How?" She took a couple of steps closer. "How?"

The smaller woman smirked as she stepped closer to the Queen. "It concerns you not." She brought her hand up and back handed Emille across the face with such a force that took Emille off her feet. Emille propped herself up and held a hand to her face.

"No!" She screamed. "Shana! Chandra! Don't take them, please!"

Her shout seemed to echo about the castle as a whisper echoes in a graveyard.

  


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The castle's backyard looked everything like what it was used for: a war zone. All Winglies left alive shot up into the air and retreated as one all of a sudden. Albert, all cut up and bloody, looked around somewhat confused. His eyes fell upon Lavitz and Dart.

"Oh, god..." Albert dropped his lance and ran over. Lavitz had tears streaming down his face and was obviously close to hyperventilating. Albert slowly pushed Lavitz away and applied pressure to Dart himself. "Miranda!" He called. "Miranda!"

Miranda, empty quiver on her back, rushed over. Dragoon Spirit in hand, she held it out over Dart's limp body and it resonated. Its healing power swept over Dart, stopping the bleeding, but he remained unconscious.

"Okay, let's get him inside," Albert said. "And gently!"

Kongol slipped his giant hands underneath Dart and lifted him up like an infant. He looked to Albert. "Where?"

Upon entering the castle, Albert led the small party into the tiny infirmary and surprisingly, Kongol managed to squeeze into the room. He laid Dart upon the small bed and left the room. Albert and Lavitz stood by the bed, looking down at Dart.

"You!" Albert snapped to a young nurse who stood by the door. "Go and get the best doctor you can find! Go! Now!"

The young woman turned and fled down the stairs. On the way down, she passed Queen Emille. Emille was still holding her face and crying.

"Queen Emille! What is the matter my Queen?"

Albert overheard this. He ran out of the infirmary and onto the stairs. "Emille!" She ran up to meet him, still crying hard. "What is wrong?" He pulled Emille's hand away from her face and gasped at the size of the bruise that had been left there. "What happened?"

At this time, Matthias was at the foot and of the stairs and began climbing.

"She took Shana and the baby," Emille managed to sputter out.

"Who?" Albert coaxed, holding her.

"Erisi!" She answered. "Erisi kidnapped them!"

Matthias' insides froze. No. That's impossible! Erisi wouldn't do such a thing!

"That's how I got this," she pointed to the bruise on her face. "She hit me. There was something much different about the way she looked and the way she carried herself. Her hair was the usual Wingly color and her eyes were a glowing red. She smiled when she hit me; it was like she had no conscience whatsoever."

Matthias felt himself begin to slip back into his personal hell that he had been trapped in earlier and forced him out of it by asking, "How is Dart?"

"He's hanging on," Lavitz answered, leaning on the banister. "That's not to say I'm not worried, though."

Pounding footsteps sounded as the nurse returned with the doctor. This was the same man who delivered Shana's baby. Matthias briefly wondered why the doctor was in Bale in the first place, but that thought was squandered by the fact that Dart need the best doctor available, regardless of where the doctor came from.

Matthias joined Albert and Lavitz in the small infirmary. The doctor looked up at Albert and gave his verdict.

"He will live, only he must be kept on strict bed rest for the time being. He needs time to recuperate from blood loss. Keep him on a diet of fluids and soups. I will come back in two weeks to check up on him. If there are any emergencies, do not hesitate at all to notify me and I will be right here. That is all. Excuse me." He slipped between the two men and out the door.

Lavitz's first thought was to stop the man and berate him for being disrespectful to the King, but there were more important matters at hand and King Albert seemed to care less at the moment.

Albert kneeled down next to the bed and took Dart's hand in his. He raised Dart's hand and touched it to his forehead. "Stay with us, my friend. We are nothing but a leaderless rabble without you."

Lavitz felt as if he was somewhat responsible for what happened to Dart. He leaned over the bed and gently brushed Dart's bangs out of his eyes. Feelings of guilt and helplessness swept over him. How could Dart still consider him his best friend? Lavitz shook his head, and a tear dripped unbidden from his eye. "This is all my fault. I should have been there by your side, Dart..."

Albert stood and placed his hand on Lavitz's shoulder. He steered Lavitz to face him. "Look at me. None of this is your fault. Trust me, Dart cried long and hard when you died two years ago. It is fine to feel remorse that you should have done something but don't cry; Dart is still with us. He is and will always be your friend. Don't ever doubt that, Lavitz. He is a brother to us all as well as our leader. I don't ever what to think that we Dragoons will be without him."

Lavitz hastily wiped the rogue tear away. "Yes, my King. Ever since I came back, I've known the frailty of life better than anyone in this castle. Though you must know you are not that only one I bear loyalty too. I would go to the gates of Hell to bring Dart back."

Albert smiled; he was so proud of Lavitz. "I commend you for that. A man should never have loyalty to one person alone. My loyalty is for everyone in Serdio. Every man should have loyalty to their king, their family, and their friends." He patted Lavitz's shoulder and lightly squeezed it. "I admire you even more now than when we were younger."

Baby Lavitz cried in the distance and Queen Emille, despite her bruised face, comforted her baby son. Her voice drifted into the infirmary. Albert and Lavitz looked to each other, sharing the same thought.

Lavitz took a deep breath. "Well," he said, placing his hands on his hips and looking from Albert to Dart. "Who's gonna tell him?"

  


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To be continued...


	24. After the Battle

The Legend of Dragoon: The Divine Blessings

--Written by: Naki

  
  
  
  


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Chapter 24 : After the Battle

  
  


"Is it safe, brother?"

Kurintsu looked from the darkening sky to the young woman huddled in his arms. She still quivered occasionally and kept an iron grip around his torso. They had been there for a few hours and the sun was beginning to set. He could tell the battle was over, and had been over for quite some time now, by the still silence.

"I think so, Deirdre. I think it's been safe for a while now." He began to stand, but Deirdre kept her hold on him.

"I'm frightened..."

Kurintsu sighed and pulled her almost forcefully to her feet. "Come on, Deirdre. It's over. I know you're frightened, but there's no need to be paranoid. He's dead." He managed to pull a hand free and he motioned to the dead Wingly soldier.

Deirdre made a face and buried her face into his shoulder. "True," her voice was muffled, "but you weren't almost raped, were you?"

Kurintsu had to concede the point, but he turned to leave, allowing her to keep his arm. "Let's go. You want to see Lavitz, right?"

She gave a small nod.

  


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The pair entered the castle from the back entrance. Meru and Claira shared a cushioned bench not far down the rear foyer and Matthias stood leaning against the wall with a contemplative expression on his face. He turned to them.

"Hello you two," he said. "I see you killed yourself a Wingly, Kurintsu. Well done."

Kurintsu was slightly confused for a moment, and then it dawned on him. Of course. Matthias was the Divine Son and he could sense all souls who entered Mayfil. But what he wasn't sure of, he asked. "Can you sense who killed who?"

"Basically," Matthias answered. "Especially if it's a person close to me. But mostly...it's all that blood covering you."

Kurintsu looked down at himself. His pants and lower half of his shirt was stained bright red. Deirdre squeaked and jumped to the side. The blood had rubbed off onto her torn dress as well.

To his disgust, Matthias chuckled. "A pity you didn't know that if you resort to blunt force injury, Winglies tend to bleed like stuck pigs."

Deirdre forgot her fear for a moment. Tears were streaming down her face and she stamped her foot and yelled at him. "Oh, what do you know? I know all this death and suffering rubbish comes easy to you, but it doesn't mean you can just laugh and throw it off."

Matthias turned and gave her a piercing glare. "It comes easy to me because I can no longer feel it, I am numb to the emotional pain associated with death. But that doesn't necessarily mean I don't know how to react to it. What I can't understand is how you can grieve over the death of your enemy. If you keep doing that, then you will most surely die."

Deirdre looked absolutely horrified. Kurintsu stepped in between them, his eyes blazing with anger. "That is enough, Matthias! You are doing no good by scaring her."

Matthias merely shrugged. "It is not my problem if she led such a sheltered life."

Kurintsu was appalled at the way Matthias was behaving. This wasn't like him at all. But then again Kurintsu wasn't really sure he truly knew Matthias at all. But still...they were all a team, even those who didn't fight. He met Matthias' glare and held it without backing down.

It was the older Wingly who spoke first. "Listen, boy," Matthias poked his index finger hard into Kurintsu's chest. "I speak from experience, and that is something you have not. So once you've walked a few miles in my boots, only then may you speak to me in that fashion. Do we have an understanding?"

Kurintsu had to admit that Matthias was right. The younger Wingly lowered his eyes and bowed his head to concede.

"Damn straight," Matthias muttered as he went back to leaning against the wall.

Both Claira and Meru watched on with wide eyes.

"Oh yeah, something's eating him," Meru said.

Claira nodded in agreement. "Yeah." She turned her head towards the sound of footsteps coming down the hall. Lavitz came towards them, walking slowly. Claira inclined her head at him. "How's Dart?" She kept her voice low.

"He's hanging on," Lavitz answered. "He's not awake yet, though."

Meru pouted. "This sucks. Dart can't die! He just can't!" Meru continued to wail, her voice echoing around the castle.

Lavitz didn't know what to think. Heck, he didn't even know what to _do_. He spread his hands imploringly at Claira. "Calm her down, please!"

Claira slipped an arm around Meru's shoulders and spoke soothingly to the crying dancer. Her words failed to pacify Meru and the wails continued.

Matthias still stood against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. He looked highly perturbed. "Please," he said tersely, his voice crescendoing to a yell. "Just shut her up!"

Everyone fell silent. Meru had been scared silent. Matthias scowled at each person and looked as if he hated them all. "That's better." He stalked off down the hallway, brushing past Lavitz.

Lavitz cocked an eyebrow at Kurintsu. "Who pissed in his breakfast this morning?"

Kurintsu shrugged and smiled at Lavitz's question. It was so out of character for him. "No clue. We just got here."

The older man surveyed his clothes. "What in Endiness happened to you?"

"Well, here goes. I caught this Wingly bastard trying to assault Deirdre, so I picked up this stout broken branch, and I, well, brained him."

Deirdre was busy giving Kurintsu a dirty look for his language and she didn't see Lavitz's reaction. He went to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. He kept her at arm's distance as to not ruin his own clothes. Lavitz steered her down the hall saying, "Come, let's get you changed. You come too, Lavitz."

  


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All was silent. The Wingly twins had changed into fresh clothing. Deirdre was fast asleep in Lavitz's private bedchamber. Kurintsu gently pulled the quilt over his sleeping sister. He then joined Lavitz in the corridor outside the bedchamber.

"What's wrong with Dart?" Kurintsu's voice was like a shout in the empty corridor. 

"He was gravely injured in the battle. And to top it all off, Shana and the baby were taken while we were not in the castle."

Kurintsu's blue eyes narrowed. "Does Dart know?"

Lavitz shook his head. "There's no possible way he can. He's been unconscious since the injury was inflicted on him."

Kurintsu shook his head slowly as he stared at the floor. He looked up. "Dart is not a careless man."

"I know. The coward Wingly attacked him from behind."

The Wingly's eyes narrowed dangerously and became a shade of purple. This signified his extreme anger. Not a good sign. "Cowardice should be punishable by death."

"Too late."

Kurintsu smiled indifferently. "That's good to hear." He heard faint footsteps ascending the stairs down the hall from them. He shook his head and attempted to lighten the mood a bit. "Look out. Here comes Mr. I-Hate-the-World."

Lavitz smirked, finding humor in the remark. "Really."

As Matthias mounted the final step, he turned his head and glowered at the pair. He then marched off and entered the last room at the opposite end of the corridor. Kurintsu raised an eyebrow at Lavitz.

"That's the Infirmary. Dart's there. It must be Matthias' turn to watch him."

"Who's going to tell him about Shana and the baby?"

"I will. It's going to be tough, I know, but...Dart's my best friend and I think it'll be better if he hears it from me."

"Are you sure? What about his mother?"

"Sure, I know Dart loves Claire because she's his mother, but she doesn't know him like I do. She agrees with me."

Kurintsu gazed down the hall. "Can we go see him?"

"And face the monster? No thanks, I rather enjoy my life."

The two shared a wry grin.

Two sets of footsteps were heard – one loud and sharp like the sound of heeled boots and the other soft and hardly noticeable. Lily and Charle rounded the corner after walking down an adjacent corridor.

"Evening, ladies," Lavitz greeted.

Charle went over to Kurintsu, concern etched on her face. "Kurintsu, my boy, I was so worried about you and Deirdre when you failed to return from the battle this afternoon."

Kurintsu held up his hand, a kind smile on his features. "I'm all right. As is my sister. I thank you for your concern, Sister Charle."

"Oh, no need for formalities, my boy. You may call me Charle. I hate formalities."

"Why?" Lily asked.

"They remind me of darker days. I would rather not dwell on the past," Charle answered.

"But what about the Winglies that follow you? They call you 'Lady Charle.'" Lily added.

"That isn't considered a formality in Wingly culture, Lily. Adult Wingly women are given the title of 'Lady' and is considered part of their names. It is considered proper etiquette." Charle explained.

"Then I should too, right?" Kurintsu asked.

Charle shook her head. "You weren't brought up in the Wingly culture, Kurintsu. I don't expect, nor do I want, you to change your habits just to flatter an old woman."

Lavitz broke in, abruptly changing the subject. "Charle, do you know what's wrong with Matthias? He's been acting out of character since the battle."

Charle nodded. "I know. It's Erisi."

This caught Kurintsu's attention. "What about Erisi?"

"Queen Emille said that it was Erisi that kidnapped Shana and the baby."

"That is a lie!" Kurintsu exclaimed.

Charle shook her head slowly. "We have no way of disproving what Queen Emille said about Erisi. Not while she's in the grips of the one called Bane."

Kurintsu sighed. "You're right. I hadn't thought of that."

"That is why Matthias is acting the way he is." Charle turned to go down the hall toward the Infirmary. "Come, let's go see Dart."

  
  


To be continued...


	25. Empty Cradle

The Legend of Dragoon: The Divine Blessings

--Written by: Naki

  
  
  
  


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Chapter 25 : Empty Cradle

  
  


Charle opened the Infirmary door and the hinges creaked loudly. Matthias stood next to the doorway and he jerked his head towards Charle. His face softened slightly but he didn't break the silence. Charle moved into the room so to let Kurintsu in. Lavitz and Lily waited in the hallway.

Kurintsu stood next to the small bed and started down at Dart. His face had gained a little color. "He doesn't look too good."

"I know," Charle said quietly.

The younger Wingly looked to his elder. "Could we get Miranda in here and try using the White Silver Spirit?"

Charle appeared thoughtful. "I…I don't know. It might be worth a try, but we don't want to be excess stress on Dart's already frail condition."

"I don't think it will," Lavitz stepped into the room. "Two years ago, back before I died, and before the end of the Serdian Civil War, Shana got poisoned by Fehrybrand's toxin and we had to get the White Silver Dragon Dragoon Spirit from Shirley. Dart was able to use the healing abilities of the Spirit in conjunction with his own Spirit to save Shana's life."

"I agree," Matthias' voice answered. All eyes turned to the man in black. "It won't kill him. Remember, Charle. When Zieg was captured by Melbu Frahma the second time." Charle nodded and he continued. "They forced him to participate in the games. Erisi risked her life and ran out into the arena to save him. He had taken a grievous wound and was bleeding badly. Erisi and I managed to get him out of Kadessa, thanks to the cover provided by the other Dragoons. The first human hut we saw we landed at and the family graciously took us in. I left Erisi there and went for Shirley. I got her there just in time and she used the Spirit to heal him. Sure, he remained unconscious for a little while, but when he awoke, he was fine."

Charle stood at the foot of the bed, fidgeting. "It's not my place to make this kind of decision."

Kurintsu nodded. "I understand. I know just the person to consult. King Albert."

Lavitz agreed. "I can speak with him now if you wish."

Matthias shook his head. "No. It was Kurintsu's idea, so it should be he who approaches the King."

"Yes," Charle said. "That would be fitting."

"Very well," Lavitz said. "Are you ready, Kurintsu? Come, I'll lead you."

  


-- -- --

  


Lavitz knocked on the King's bedchamber door. A few moments lapsed and the door opened slowly. Out came King Albert with a robe wrapped about him and his nightclothes in an attempt to appear presentable. 

"Lavitz?" He asked. "What's wrong?"

Lavitz said nothing. He merely turned his head to Kurintsu, who was standing behind him.

"King Albert," Kurintsu said with a slight bow of his head. "I have come up with a plan that might save Dart from a lengthy recovery. Matthias agrees with me and said it had been done before with Dart's father."

Albert was intrigued. "Go on." He listened intently as Kurintsu outlined his plan. When he was done, Albert nodded and looked positively ecstatic and serious at the same time.

"That is a perfect plan. I can't believe we hadn't thought of it before. But...Miranda did try it after the battle, but it didn't seem to be enough."

"That's because she wasn't concentrating hard enough," Kurintsu said. "Umm...at least, that's what I think, sir."

Albert looked thoughtful and ran his fingers through his loose brown hair. "Alright, we'll try it again. No harm in trying."

He turned to Lavitz. "Go wake Miranda and ask her to join us at the Infirmary, please." Lavitz bowed his head. "Yes, my King."

Kurintsu and Albert watched as the knight left the room in search for the temperamental archer. Albert gave the younger man a smile, placed a hand on his back and steered him out the door.

"So Kurintsu, who's waiting for us at the Infirmary?"

"Matthias, Charle, and, of course, Dart."

They walked down the steps and down the hall towards the Infirmary; Kurintsu's shoes tapping the floor and Albert's hunter green slippers softly padding against the tile.

Charle met them around the corner from the Infirmary and walked with them the rest of the way. She spoke in low tones. "Matthias went to wake everyone up. The presence of loving persons always makes this work much better than if the caster was alone with the patient. Especially since, and I hate to say this, Miranda is not as talented with the White Silver Spirit as Shirley was. I'm going to have Matthias coach her before we go through with it."

Albert nodded and noted how many people sat or stood along the walls outside the Infirmary. "I have a question, Charle. Miranda used her Spirit after the battle today and all it did was stop the bleeding. How will doing this again help?"

"The circumstances of the situation. The prior battle, the adrenaline, the many distractions...many factors contributing to the substandard results of the earlier trial."

Albert nodded in understanding. "So now that we have peace and quiet, she'll be able to concentrate with little or no distractions."

Charle nodded. "Exactly."

"Hey guys," Kurintsu hailed as Matthias, Lavitz, Deirdre, and Miranda walked down the corridor towards them.

"Matthias, did you tell...?"

Matthias held up his hand, cutting Charle off. "Yes, I already did."

"Good. How are you feeling, Miranda?" Charle asked.

"Nervous," Miranda answered. She curled her fingers tighter around her Dragoon Spirit. "I hope I don't mess up."

"Don't worry, Miranda! You won't 'cause we're here for you!" Meru pumped her fist into the air, her nightgown (or some semblance thereof) riding up slightly. "Besides, Dart's a tough cookie, so he'll make it!" Meru was stopped from her ranting because Claira clamped her hand over the hyper Wingly's mouth.

"It's going to be tough keeping the little one quiet," Matthias remarked. "If she starts making a fuss and Miranda loses her concentration, then all this will just crash and burn."

Albert assumed his "teacher" face. (...you know the look...the serious face that only teachers can seem to manage.) He turned on his heel and spoke. "Claira, if you can, keep your hand over her mouth and keep her from making anymore sounds. Please?"

Claira nodded an affirmative and Meru's face scrunched as she tried to make a face at Albert.

Zieg stood next to the Infirmary door, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He looked to Matthias. "Is there any possibility of losing my brother? You said yourself that this has only been done once before and that was with our old man."

"Knock it off, Z.J.," Claira admonished. "Don't refer to our father as 'old man.'"

"Can we stop bickering now?" Haschel asked. "It's late and I for one would like to get this over with as soon as possible because this 'old man' needs his sleep."

There were some dry chuckles through the group. Poor Kongol sat in a corner looking lost and confused. He looked up to Haschel, who stood next to him, and his voice rumbled, "Kongol does not understand."

Haschel waved a hand at him. "I'll explain it to you later, okay?"

Kongol nodded, keeping silent.

Miranda brushed her long blonde hair over her shoulder and set her mind back to serious mode. She stepped into the small room and stood next to the twin bed on which Dart lay.

She held the small silver ball out on her palm and looked at it intently. Then she looked at Dart. His skin was almost the same color as the sheets on which he lay and his breaths were so shallow she could barely tell if he was breathing at all.

Miranda took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She kept the image of Dart fresh in her mind and lowered her guard. The White Silver Spirit resonated and Miranda could feel her perception grow. She could sense the others outside the room and it was as if the walls were nonexistent. She could see each hopeful face, could sense each hopeful thought. Her perception expanded even further, reaching into the slumbering minds of the Serdians living in Bale. None knew what was taking place in Indels Castle. They were dreaming dreams of irrelevant matters, so Miranda blocked them out and kept her mind centered on what was most important. _This has to work! Please, my Spirit. Please let this work!_

The White Silver Spirit resonated incredibly bright, illuminating the entire castle grounds, and caused all to shield their eyes.

  


-- -- --

  


A baby. A baby was crying. Where was the baby? The sound of heavy footsteps neared. A heavy metal door opened, screeching on its hinges and grating across the floor.

A pair of strong arms grabbed her and hauled her up from where she lay on a hard mattress. She was blindfolded and the sound of the baby's cry came even more closer, as if the infant were in the same room. Her head felt light and she felt nauseous. Her body rocked slightly from side to side, as if she were battling to keep her balance. A baby...crying...

"Feed it," barked a woman's voice as the infant was thrust into her arms. Footsteps hammered away and the heavy door was slammed shut. A lock clicked loudly in the eerie silence.

She gently cradled the baby in one arm before she reached up and pulled the blindfold off.

"Chandra?" Shana breathed and the baby calmed slightly at the sight of her mother. "You're hungry, aren't you, my baby?"

She unbuttoned her shirt and began to nurse her daughter. As the baby fed, Shana looked about the room she was being kept in. There were dingy stone walls that were covered in dirt and mold. There were no windows and that heavy door was the only way out.

Where am I? What am I doing here? The last thing Shana remembered was that she was asleep in Indels Castle. This room reminded her vividly of her stay at Hellena Prison around three years ago. Well, at least her cell there had bars for her to look through.

Shana sighed and leaned against the moldy wall. Somehow being in this situation didn't surprise her much. What scared her was that now she had her own infant daughter thrown into the mix. She didn't allow herself to think of the most horrible of possibilities that could happen to her baby.

"No," she whispered and tightened her arms and held her baby closer. Chandra made a sound as she fed and Shana smiled despite the current predicament. Chandra's brown hair was so downy that her mother couldn't resist stroking her head softly. She emitted a contented coo.

As Chandra finished nursing, Shana laid down on the hard mattress, keeping Chandra on her chest. Shana was tired. She didn't know why, but she was. She gently rubbed her baby's back and softly sang the lullaby Dart had taught her as a child. Chandra loved it and now wouldn't go to sleep without hearing it.

Shana's own eyelids drooped closed and the lullaby tapered off.

  


-- -- --

  


_Shana lay upon a stiff pallet that was a moldy green color and smelled suspiciously like a compost heap. She was in a depressed mood and as she lay there she stared at the wall, hearing but not exactly listening to the three prison guards standing outside her cell practically armed to the teeth. She caught one or two passing comments about so-and-so's wife being good in the sack and the boss having thrown another fellow Hellena prison guard into the pit of the beast just because the soldier was standing near to him. It so happened that the death count was climbing at an alarming rate. How ironic. There were more prison guards dying then prisoners. Not a good sign. It's a wonder there haven't been more prison breaks._

Suddenly their raucous chatter was cut short by surprised shouts from the prison guards.

"You," one of them spat. "You are from Basil!"

A strange, yet somehow familiar, voice yelled, "Lavitz, get 'em before they make a noise!"

Another voice, higher in pitch than the first but still obviously masculine, answered. "Yeah!"

A skirmish ensued, accompanied by the sharp sound of steel upon steel. It seemed to end just as it started. Shana crept over to the bars of her cell. Who were these men? They were both blonde, but one had on red body armor and the other a uniform of some sort. The one in red sheathed his broad sword. Shana worked up her courage to call out to them.

"Who is it?"

The man in red turned his head towards the cell with surprise on his face. "That voice!" He hurried over to the cell in long strides. Shana took a few steps back as he gripped two of the bars in his hands and tugged hard, causing the door to clank loudly against its lock. "Is that Shana? It's me!"

Shana gasped audibly as recognition finally dawned on her. "Dart? Is that you Dart?"

"Yes it is me!" Dart said excitedly, a great grin gracing his features. "I'm here to rescue you!"

The other man, who Shana assumed to be the one named Lavitz, called out urgently, "Hurry up! The guard is coming!"

Dart hurriedly fished a key from his pocket. He slipped it into the keyhole in the door. The key creaked as he turned it and the door swung open, protesting loudly as the hinges grated against each other. Dart ran inside. "Shana!"

The relief was evident on her face. "Dart..." she spoke in a subdued tone.

Dart narrowed the space between them with a step and nodded as he repeated himself. "I'm here to rescue you."

She didn't reply. Along with her relief came a sense of surprise and an emotion that wasn't exactly anger but felt something along the lines of betrayal. Why is it that suddenly, after five long years, he chose this particular time to show up? Shana knew she should feel grateful that he had impeccable timing, but she couldn't help but feel a little resentment that he'd left her in the first place.

Dart misread her silence and looked at her with an expression that was a cross between worry and confusion. "You haven't forgotten me even though we haven't seen each other for five years?"

Shana moved about the cell and stopped by the pallet with a pensive look on her face. "How could I forget?" she answered as she turned and walked back to Dart. "Show me your face."

Dart leaned in a little closer to her and Shana carefully scrutinized his face, squinting her brown eyes in the dim light. "I haven't changed much," Dart said.

"Yes you have," she corrected as he straightened. "You look stronger, much more than the Dart I knew."

Their reunion was brought to a screeching halt by Lavitz's frantic shout from outside the cell. "Hurry up! The guards are coming back!"

Dart nodded at Shana and left the cell to assist Lavitz. Shana paused briefly, brushed a few offending strands of her hair from her face, and joined the men outside.

Three prison guards had them pincered against the cell wall.

One of the guards noticed Shana. "The girl is breaking out!"

Score one for Captain Obvious. Dart and Lavitz brandished their weapons and another guard sneered at them.

"I won't let her!" He led the attack.

Shana stood back from the fight, just outside the cell door and safe in the small depression in the wall made for the cell entrance.

As before, the two brave warriors finished the small engagement with no trouble, and, as it seemed, with no sweat, at all. Dart sheathed his blade again and turned to Shana. He started to give her a cheeky grin so reminiscent of their childhood days, but quickly changed to look concerned. "Are you hurt?"

Shana allowed herself a small smile. "I am fine."

"You can celebrate later," Lavitz said. "We are still deep in the belly of the enemy." He turned and walked a few steps down the causeway to observe their surroundings. "Besides," he turned back to them, "it's too damp to have a party, isn't it?"

Dart grinned at Lavitz's attempt at humor and turned to Shana. "Let's go, Shana. Follow me, okay?"

Shana sighed. Somehow she knew he was going to be like that. She spied a bow and a quiver of arrows sitting propped up against the wall and went over to them. Far be it for her if she was going to allow him to treat her like a child! "Dart, I'm eighteen years old now." She slipped the quiver onto her back and picked up the bow. She drew the string back as if she were firing an arrow. "I can fight too!"

"Shana..." Dart said in a pleading voice.

Lavitz chose this moment to add his words of wisdom. Which were, in fact, simple restatements of the obvious. "She grew up. She was alone in such a hell like place. If she was a regular woman, she wouldn't have been able to survive. Or course," he gave them a lopsided grin, "there are not that many fools who would come here to save her."

"But," Dart objected, "the Shana of my memory hasn't changed a bit."

Lavitz, as it seemed, had a quick, painless, solution to everything. "Let's talk about that after we get out of here."

  


-- -- --

  


Shana awoke with tears trickling down her face. She rolled over onto her side and held her baby in her arms. Oh, how she wished Dart would come, kicking down the door to save her. Just as he had in Hellena Prison. Why hasn't he come to save her? Shana curled her body into the fetal position. "Why?" she whispered, her voice cracking with emotion. "Why?"

  


-- -- --

  


As it seems the project worked. Matthias checked and Dart's face had returned to its normal color and his breathing was deep and steady. Tense breaths were released and everyone eventually left for their beds. Lavitz stopped and stood in the doorway with Matthias. They watched Dart for a moment.

"He looks like he's sleeping," Lavitz remarked.

"He is," Matthias said. He put a hand on the other's shoulder and led him out of the Infirmary. The door swung shut behind them.

  


-- -- --

  


The pale fingers of dawn touched the spires of Indels Castle. Lavitz walked down the hall with a bounce in his step. When he reached the Infirmary and found the door ajar, he figured someone was already attending to Dart.

He pushed the door opened and what he saw shocked him. The bed was empty. Lavitz panicked. He turned and ran. He ran down the hall, his shoes clapping against the floor, and as he passed it, he noticed that one door was open. He skidded to a halt and slowly walked back to it, breathing heavily. Dart and Shana's room.

Lavitz pushed the door all the way open. Dart sat in the rocking chair next to the crib. He was shirtless and the bandages that were wrapped about his torso were laying in tatters on the floor next to the rocking chair. An impressive scar ran from the middle of his left pectoral to his left shoulder. Dart slowly rocked back and forth while he stared at the empty crib.

"Dart?" Lavitz called tentatively.

Dart stopped rocking and turned slowly around toward Lavitz. His blue eyes, once bright and alive, were now dulled over and almost lifeless. He showed no indication of recognition.

"Where's my baby?"

  


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